Newspaper Page Text
Page A6
Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 25, 2015
GREENE COUNTY
PNBGC transformed into a Winter Wonderland
Dec. 9,2015 is a day Pete Nance Boys
& Girls Club members will remember
as the day Santa came to town and
transformed the club into a Winter
Wonderland. Well, maybe Santa wasn’t
solely responsible. He leaned on his
friends from The Home Depot, located
in Greensboro, for a little help.
The Home Depot Kid’s Workshop as
sociate volunteers provided supplies to
make the event possible. They brought
two truckloads full of decorations from
the store to literally transform the
classrooms into a festive Wonderland.
Together with PNBGC volunteers, they
spent the afternoon spreading Christ
mas cheer to PNBGC members during
various “workshop” activities ranging
from face painting and wood working
to ornament making and story time
with the jolly old soul himself, Santa.
Mrs. Claus treated the children to milk
and cookies as well.
“It’s a treat for us to give back to our
community. I think we enjoyed our
time bringing the Winter Wonderland
to the kids at Pete Nance Club even
more than the kids did. That’s what it’s
about... it’s about the kids. Teaching
them and showing them you care,” said
Mark Bushway, Home Depot - Kid’s
Workshop captain.
“My mother, Dorothy Bushway,
passed about four years ago. She hand
made several Christmas story books
before she left us, so dressing up as
Santa Claus and reading her books
Contributed
Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club
members build wooden toolboxes
during the Dec. 9, 2016 Winter
Wonderland event hosted by The
Home Depot. Please see B1 for the
PNBGC Newspaper Club page for
December.
to the children is a way to celebrate
the season while also honoring her
memory.”
Home Depot associates work side-
by-side to create life-long, meaning
ful relationships between The Home
Depot, their neighbors and communi
ty. On the first Saturday of each month,
9 a.m. to noon, Bushway and his team
can be found at The Home Depot for
their monthly complementary Kid’s
Workshop.
The workshop is open to the public
and features a unique DIY project.
Participants receive an official Home
Depot apron personalized with their
name, a certificate, and a pin.
“We average about 50 kids each
month, but we welcome as many kids
that will show up,” said Bushway.
The Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club
would like to thank Bushway and The
Home Depot Kid’s Workshop Team for
their time, service and commitment
to the club. The success of PNBGC is
possible through the support of won
derful partners like The Home Depot.
The Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club
is located in a wing of the Greens
boro Elementary School and works
hand in-hand with the Greene County
School System to touch the lives of
every child in our community while
making the club a safe place to learn
and grow during non-school hours.
A caring and professional staff,
under the direction of Bob Mackey,
leads PNBGC. Club members receive
life-enhancing programs and charac
ter development experiences that assist
in their ability to grow and develop into
productive, responsible and caring
adults.
To learn the many ways you
too can support and partner with
PNBGC, please contact Mackey at
706.454.1120. You can also follow the
club on Facebook at www.facebook.
com/petenancel.
Hosp
Continued from A4
period the Authority would
not be entitled to any funds
in addition to the $1, million
per year); and
4. If the hospital were
built, Athens Regional
would populate it with
physicians/specialists. One
reason for asking for the
delay is that the math in No.
3 simply “does not compute.”
The County’s current con
tribution to the Authority is
approximately $750,000 to
be used for costs of indigent
care and other unpa id
health care services, ad
ministrative and other
costs. The approved IGA
allows the $25 million to be
pledged irrevocably to an
unidentified lender as ad
ditional security for a loan
of an unidentified amount
and upon unidentified
conditions. It allows the
lender to use that amount
for payment of the loan. It
does not specify the priority
of payment as among the
loan payment and the costs
of indigent care and other
unpaid health care services,
administrative and other
costs. If the lender elects to
apply the $25 million to pay
the loan, indigent care and
the other costs nevertheless
remain. Add to those costs
the amount of the predicted
reductions in governmental
subsidies and reimburse
ments. Where will that
“shortfall” money come
from? From the Hospital’s
profits resulting from the
Master Collaboration Agree
ment in No. 4? More likely,
the Morgan County taxpay
ers will be called upon year
after year to make it up.
Some $925,000 is the
average annual payment by
the County to the Authority
over the last 17 years. Keep
in mind that many of those
payments came before the
health care industry was
beset by many of the financ
ing and regulatory ills and
burdens now plaguing it, the
advent of Obamacare, and
the vast number of uncer
tainties that have resulted.
So, if the $1 million annual
unera
ome
May those who have lost a loved one
find strength in the love of family
and in the warm embrace of friends.
McCommons Funeral Home
Callaway Funeral Home, and Georgias Lake Country Crematory
“Over 100 Years and 5 Generations of Family Funeral and Cremation Service”
FUNERAL HOMES - MONUMENTS - PREARRANGEMENTS - CREMATORY
706.453.2626 706.486.4138
109 W. Broad St • Greensboro, GA 30642 208 N. Rhodes St • Union Point, GA 30669
mccommonsfuneralhome.com • lakeoconeecrematory.com* callawayfuneralhome.com
Lake Oconee’s Onsite Crematory
C (J/J ERNARD’S
FAMILY FUNERAL )
CARE
“Service as good as its promise ”
(706)485-4494
Eatonton, GA
wwwi3ernardsfamilyfuneralcare.com
FuneralHome
a faiead the family
www.williamsfuneralhome.net
306 N. Jefferson Street
Eatonton, GA 31024
706-485-3303
'Dining Ivy'Hill Q
? Chapel
706.4-85.4-14-4
“We will be there for you like a
member of the family”
www.viningivyhill.com
FuneraH3ome ( & Crematory
(on site crematory)
www.williamsfuneralhome.net
1670 North Jefferson Street
Milledgeville, GA31061
478-452-2148
payment is applied by the
lender to pay the loan, it
seems reasonable to believe
that County taxpayers will
then be staring at a short
fall. Will it be somewhere
between $750,000 and
$925,000 per year-less,
more? It matters, therefore,
that the IGA does not deliver
on any of four propositions
held out to County residents
noted above.
As to No. 4, Piedmont
and Athens Regional have
announced that negotia
tions are underway to form
a “partnership.” Have the
Authority members and the
Commissioners looked into
the intended or likely effects
on the existing Master
Collaboration Agreement
between Madison Morgan
Hospital and Athens
Regional that may result
from those negotiations?
Have they analyzed the po
tential outcomes of those
negotiations and their effect
on a newly constructed
25-bed inpatient hospital
in Morgan County? What
is Piedmont’s business
interest in supporting facil
ities in Covington, Athens,
and Madison? If any of that
has been done, neither the
Authority members nor the
Commissioners seem to
have released any of it to the
public. There are so many
other questions.
Our letter noted many
other changes. Copies of it
should be available at the
Commission’s offices.
The commissioners
should not just ignore the
facts. Rather they are called
upon by their roles as com
missioners to thoroughly
analyze today’s vast and
shifting landscape of pro
viding health care services.
Then show the residents
of Morgan County they
have done so, present their
findings, and adjust their
strategy and actions ac
cordingly. Those findings
should be presented in a
public hearing that befits
one of the largest, if not
the largest, single, non-ed
ucation related, long-term
financial commitment of
county taxes ever. This
matter is way too important
to be relegated to a called
meeting following a too
lengthy work session.
We now ask that the
Commissioners exercise
the leadership job they
sought, and fulfill the trust
reposed in them by Morgan
County residents to deliver
sound and responsible gov
ernment. We residents are
entitled to no less.
Bob McCauley, and on
behalf of Blair Curtis,
Whitey Hunt, John
Huntz and Dan Rather
Morgan County
Throne
Continued from A4
In the moment trying to
schedule our work parties
TCH
Mini Storage
Buildings
around our other responsi
bilities seemed hard, but the
reality is we both have jobs
in places that care enough
about us that they want to
interact with us outside of
our work schedules. That
is a blessing, a gift. One of
those other responsibilities
is being youth leaders which
brings with it commitment
to our students, but let me
just tell you, when you get a
Residential -
Industrial -
Commercial -
Gated &
Secured
"TU xT5~
4 10x20
10 x 25
Guaranteed
Lowest Price
..
Call for
ove in Special
417 Pea Ridge
Eatonton, GA
706-485-9979
Obituaries
The deadline for obituaries is 1 p.m. Monday. Funeral
homes may send notices to news@lakeoconeenews.us.
Obituaries will be edited for length and content.
Montine Hardigree Merritt
Aug. 17,1927 - Dec. 15,2015
Montine Hardigree
Merritt, age 88, of the
Liberty Community
died on Tuesday, Dec.
15, 2015 at her residence
surrounded by loved
ones. Montine was born
in Union Point on Aug.
17, 1927 the daughter of
the late John Henry and
Mary Lou Lewis Hardi
gree. She attended Union
Point High School and on
Dec. 20,1946 she married
Jack V. Merritt of the
Liberty Community. She was a homemaker who was an
excellent cook and seamstress and enjoyed working in
her yard and flower garden. She was a loyal and faithful
member of Liberty United Methodist Church, where
she sang in the choir. Montine was a wonderful, wife,
mother and grandmother who thoroughly enjoyed her
family, especially her grandchildren and great grand
children.
She is survived by her husband, Jack Merritt of the
Liberty Community; children, Joyce Strickland (David),
Jackie Carlton (Guy Kay), Jeffery Merritt (Jane), Darrell
Merritt (Melinda) and Rhonda Eaton (Allen); brothers,
Robbie Hardigree of Washington, and Larry Hardigree,
of Macon; eight grandchildren, Michael Strickland,
Kevin Strickland, Dana Hayes, Hank Carlton, Ryan
Merritt, Pam Merritt, Morgan Hardigree and Melissa
Davis; 13 great grandchildren, Collin Strickland,
Jackson Strickland, Conner Strickland, Hayden Strick
land, Rebecca Bashore, Taylor Hayes, Kate Merritt,
John Ryan Merritt, Matthew Davis, Makayla Davis,
Madalyn Davis, Charlotte Hardigree and Makinley
Hardigree; special friend of the family, Jack Phares;
and her wonderful caregivers, Donna Higdon, Nicole
Reid and Tameika Daniel. She was preceded in death by
her siblings, Victor Lewis Hardigree, James Hardigree,
Earl Hardigree and Peggy Jo Holcomb.
Funeral Services were held Thursday, Dec. 17, at
Liberty United Methodist Church, 3091 Liberty Church
Road, White Plains, with Rev. Tom Compton and Rev.
Randy Godbee officiating. Burial followed in the church
cemetery. Serving as pallbearers were grandsons and
great grandsons: Michael Strickland, Kevin Strickland,
Ryan Merritt, Hank Carlton, Hayden Strickland and
Collin Strickland. The family request that any memo
rials be made to the Liberty United Methodist Church,
c/o Dede Smith, 1691 Bramlett Road, Greensboro, GA
30642. McCommons Funeral Home, 109 W. Broad
St., Greensboro, GA, (706) 453-2626, is in charge of
arrangements. Visit www.mccommonsfuneralhome.
com to sign the online guest register.
Monteen Miller Feagin
Monteen Miller Feagin, age 80, of Eatonton, died
Dec. 17,2015. She was a 1953 graduate of Lithonia High
School and retired from Georgia Telco Credit Union as a
Supervisor of Loans.
A loving wife, mother and grandmother, she is
survived by her husband of 62 years, Frank; daughters,
Mandi Bonner and her husband, Don, of Eatonton, and
Susan Peaden and her husband, Doug, of Dallas, Texas;
sister, Marcia McLarty; grandchildren, Lanier Bonner,
Miller Peaden and Mitchell Peaden; and several nieces
and nephews.
A funeral service was held Monday, Dec. 21 in the
Lithonia Chapel of Henry Funeral Home with Dr. Gil
Watson officiating. Interment was at Georgia Veterans
Cemetery, Milledgeville. Donations may be made in her
memory to Eatonton First United Methodist Church.
text that one of your seniors
got into Emory University,
her dream school, you come
to realize what a gift doing
life with them really is.
This week we get to
spend time with both of our
families, and Derek gets to
help lead a Christmas Eve
service for the first time. We
even get to wake up in our
apartment with our four
legged children on Christ
mas morning for the first
time as a married couple.
All of these things are bless
ings, amidst the chaos, that
we would not have if God
wasn’t on the throne.
I hope this season gives
you the opportunity to
reflect on the blessings you
have in your life, and from
me and my family, I pray
that you have a very Merry
Christmas.
Merry ChristmM
mmim
mm
c
FuneralHome
Rick, Donna and Cam Williams/Owners
More than just a funeral home, a friend of the family.
306 N. Jefferson Ave. Eatonton, Ga • 706.485.3303
