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r tit • us m i H ’3 "i I 1 at i * i r If r Blip Jill. ’ Vol. 126 Issue No. 1 500 Legal Organ For Peach County , C/fy of Fort Valley and City Of Byron Looking Ahead in 2012 Fort Valley Streets to See Major Work By Victor Kulkosky News Editor Anyone who plans on driving through the heart of Fort Valley in the next year to two years should get themselves a good map or GPS. Ttoo major projects are scheduled to get underway in Fort Valley, and both will create serious traffic problems. The bigger project is an $11 mil¬ lion project to upgrade wastewater lines under Camellia Blvd^Georgia Highway 49. The project, under the purview of the state transportation department, is part of a multi-pronged, multi-year project to renovate and upgrade Fort Valley’s aging wastewa¬ ter and stormwater systems. The Camellia Blvd. Project will involve tearing up the street from Five Points to the far side of the old Kell Building. The project is expected to begin in spring 2012 and could last up to two years, but the result will be two new 36” stormwater lines to replace the existing, and inadequate, 12” and 24" lines. A more modest project is scheduled to begin very soon. The $12 million State University Drive Streetscape project will make mostly aesthetic improvements from the beginning of the street at the Wildcat Monument to the main entrance of FVSU. The work will include repaving, planting and installing streetlights. Plans call for completing the work in time for FVSU's next Homecoming in the fall. As the most recent City Council meeting, a citizens group expressed overall support for the project but objected to a planned island in the middle of the State University Drive, raising concerns about traffic, park¬ ing. safety, aesthetics and mainte¬ nance. Also on the agenda for the year. Fort Valley Main Street/Downtown Development Authority will soon appoint a committee to come up with ideas about how to use the Passenger Depot and other historical railroad buildings. The owner donated the Passenger Depot to the city late last year. With that donation, the city now owns the old Passenger Depot. Signal Building and Freight Depot. What's INSIDE MIHMMM i Polio* Boat •••••••••••••••••a* 3 Opinion. I Country Lhrin£. .8 Faith Hitter*. 8 7 .8 ffl—H«4« 1 10 Srrvinv P i tit h ( twnfv lor Ou r lOff Years I Pctn h Publishing ( o. * < /r//w'*/*’>< t/y t IIS I OF WARNER ROBINS A tOU% SlIMrk . O hriv fhmh . 10% flavor* VVi have over tholce* $0 t> t i so >1111 AO chaMM dally ° (•N to Htti fwt 0edant 9 478-319-6891 QM 627 S. Houston Lotto Rd Suit* tOS O Worntt WWW wrrupcokes.tom Robins, Go 31 Q *S Peach County's Newspaper Byron Council Passes Budget 3 Sworn In H, w M id Byron~~ ; Crfy -G»uncilman Farrell Bass stgm the oath of office after swearing in for his second term. By Victor Kulkosky - am i esr n r i With wife Sarah beside him, James Richardson fakes the oath of office as Byron City Councilman with Municpal Court Judge Laurens C. Lee presiding. Richardson is in his second term. Photo by Victor Kulkosky By Victor Kulkosky News Editor At a December 28 called meet ing, the Byron City Council passed a 2012 General Fund city budget of $4,735,615.45. The final budget was New Hospital Board to Start Work Ground Set for March 29 By Victor Kulkosky News Editor The Peach County Hospital Authority recently held what was probably its last meeting under its old status. “Thank you for all that you've done.” said Nancy Peed. Chief Executive Officer of Peach Regional Medical Center, at the December 19 board meeting. “There's been a lot of hard work and dedication and probably some tears. I appreciate your belief •**2 UN IV Your dollar* spent in locally-ownad businesses have three times the impact dollars on your community national chains. as When spent at locally, simultaneously shopping jobs, you create fund more city services through sales improvement tax, Invest in and neighborhood promote community development. r~*!M 3 m With First Lady Charlotte Collins beside him, Larry Col¬ lins takes the oath of office as Mayor of Byron with Mu¬ nicipal Court Judge Laurens C. Lee presiding. Collins is in his fifth overall term as Mayor and third consecutive term. Photo by Victor Kulkosky unchanged from the budget presented earlier in the month. On the revenue side of the budget. taxes comprise the largest source of funds for the city. Taxes on real and personal property total about $1.36 million. Local Option Sales Taxes that something would come and letting us get to this point." With the partnership between PRMC and the parent company of the Medical Center of Central Georgia proceeding, a new board will begin overseeing operations of the hospital this month. Peed said. The new board is tentative¬ ly entitled the Medical Center of Peach County and will hold an informal meeting around the time the Medical Cento- signs the lease on the planned new hospital Members of the new board will ......*“«•••«..... MU 4i-i- FC^ ADC NEVW5PAP6R - 301 - project OF GA ga 30602-0001 a ; - r 1 A .J * At t t.OPAV i i'M VO Iks *'V M A\ » Af ft * l J T/ Y 1 ME total $321,395.40. Franchise fees for electricity, TV/Cable and telephone add another $304,090.36. Fines and Forfeitures comprise the second largest revenue source, total¬ ing about $1.13 million, including Municipal Court and Probation Fees. State Grants adds $328,000 to the city's bottom line. The Police Department is the larg¬ est single expense for the city. The 2012 budget for the department is just under $2 million, with salaries and benefits the largest share of that amount, at about $12 million. Byron also has some enterprise funds, which should be self-support¬ ing through fees charged to customers. Those funds include Water/Sewer, at about $1.3 million. Natural Gas at $435,329.48 and Solid Waste at $257,420.55. In other business, the Mayor and two city councilman were sworn in to new terms. Byron Municipal Court Judge and Peach County Magistrate Laurens C. Lee presided. Mayor Larry Collins entered his fifth overall term and third consecutive term. City Councilman Farrell W. Bass began his second term. City Councilman James Richardson also began his sec¬ ond term. include Tom Green (chairman of the existing hospital authority). Dr. Crystal Brown, Al Waldrcp. Dr. Isaac J. Crumbly of Fort Valley State University, Helen Rhea Stumbo. Connie Cater and Jim McClendon. The Peach County Hospital Authority will continue oversee¬ ing county indigent care funds and SPLOST funds, hold title to the new hospital, and oversee the new hospital lease. Under the agreement between Continued to page 3 January 3,3018 Preview Southwest Peach Waiting for Sewer Line By Victor Kulkosky News Edit or _ Could 2012 be the Year of the Sewer Line for the residents of Southwest Peach? For many years, the 300 or so home owners in the Peach County neigh¬ borhood near Fort Valley State have suffered from septic tank and drain¬ age problems. The problem is that the lots are simply too small to allow septic tanks to drain quickly enough. Current state building codes wouldn’t allow new homes on relatively small lots like those in Southwest Peach to be built with septic systems. Heavy rains can make for soggy yards and toilets and drains that back up into the home. But until recently. Southwest Peach never made it to the top of anyone's priority lists. Officials argued for years over whether the 2000 SPLOST should have included Southwest Peach; some projects included in that now 12-year-old SPLOST are still not completed as a result of that dispute. The fighting appears to be over, however, as in September 2011 Peach County, the City of Fort Valley and the Fort Valley Utility Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could lead to a sewer line extension for Southwest Peach, The county is the lead agency for the project and is seeking grant money with help from Fort Valley and the FVUC. The FVUC will own and operate the line and process the wastewater at its exist¬ ing treatment plant nearby, while the county would foot the bill for resi¬ dents to tap in to the line. Residents who wish to tap in will have to agree to annexation into the city. Also on the agenda for 2012 is the county's planned animal control facil¬ ity. The latest SPLOST designated $400,000 for the project, which would begin to cure a long-running headache for county government and residents. Plans call for a building near the Peach County Law Enforcement Center, but difficulty bringing the project within the $400,000 budget have delayed construction, with a redesign under¬ way. TTie county is also looking further ahead, to 2014, to be exact. The cur¬ rent SPLOST doesn't expire until then, but the county has scheduled a referen¬ dum for it on March 6. Voter approval ahead of time would guarantee the SPLOST could continue without a break. The anticipated $21.7 million in revenue from the 2014 SPLOST would be split, with the county receiv¬ ing 64% and each city 18%. This year is a major election year. In addition to President and House of Representatives, many county offices are also on the ballot. They include Board of Commissioners Post I, Post 3 and Post 5, along with Sheriff. Tax Commissioner. Chief Magistrate, Clerk of Superior Court, Coroner and Judge of Probate Court. The 2012 State Legislature begins its work later this month with Sen. George Hooks, Rep. Robert Dickey and Rep Lynmore James representing Peach County. Redrawn districts are supposed to go into effect for the 2012 election, pending Justice Department approval and the outcome of any law¬ suits. As the districts stand now. Hooks would not be Peach County’s Senator, while Dickey and James would probably win redrawn districts that still include the county.