Newspaper Page Text
Peach PublLfhing Company
u looking for the cover o f our
next Wedding Magazine.
Mil II..II inti Mil. ..II. ..II him
4*2 i
ALL FOR ADC 301
GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
UNIV OF GA
ATHENSGA 30602-0001
L manayt"Tncitiuuci n. UUI IW.I iv • I
z 1 r * I
J\
Vol. 126 Issue No. 2 50^ Peach County's Newspaper January If, 8018
Legal Organ For Peach County, City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron
Evelyn Sledge -
Roland A.J. Ogden - Fort Valley
Obituary Notices on
•Byron City Council: Every 2nd
Monday, 6 p.m., 2nd Floor. Byron
Municipal Complex.
•Ft. Valley City Council: Work Session
5:30 p.m. Tuesday before regular
meeting. Mayor’s Office. City Hall;
Regular Meeting every third Thursday,
6:30 p.m.. Public Meeting Room, City
Hall.
•County (.'ommlssionerc Every 2nd
Tuesday. 4 p.m.. Public Meeting Room.
County Courthouse Annex, Ft. Valley.
•Board of Education Study Session.
Tuesday before Regular Meeting, 5 p.m..
Board Meeting Room; Regular Meeting
every 1st Tuesday, Board Meeting Room.
523 Vineville St. Ft Valley
•Hospital Authority: Friday after 4th
Monday. 9 a.m.. Conference Room,
Peach Regional Medical Center.
•Development Authority: Every 3rd
Thursday. 8 a.m., Conference Room.
Troutman House, Ft. Valley,
•Ft. Valley Utility Corn-mission: Every
2nd Monday. 6 p.m., Public Meeting
Room, Ft. Valley City Hall.
•Water A Sewerage Authority: 3rd
Monday of month. 6:15 p.m.. Public
Meeting Room, County Courthouse
Annex, Ft. Valley.
•Tax Assessors: First Thursday of
month, 4 p.m.. Public Meeting Room.
County Courthouse Annex, Ft. Valley.
•Byron Planning A Zoning Every 4th
Thursday of month. 6 p.m.
•Fort Valley DDA Board: First Tuesday.
6 p.m., Troutman House Conference
Room
•Fort Valley Historical Preservation
Commission: Second Thursday at 6
p.m , TVoutman House Conference Room
Local
Weather
Forecast
Sunny Wednesday, Jan. 11
Hi: 64*
Lo: 36*
Sunny Thursday. Jan. 12
Hi: 59*
lo: 3 6 m
Sunny Friday, Jan. 13
Hi: 60*
Lo: 36*
Sunny Saturday, Jan. 14
Hi: 61*
lo: 36*
Sunny Sunday, Jan. 15
Hi: 62*
lo: 36*
What’s
INSIDE
Patch In & Out MttMIMM £
Police Bact mmm
.4
,.8
.,.6
10
11
II
17 > t licit ( it hi v* Fur Over 100 Years
7
Advertising
Spotlight
WotLoat Beauty Salon
.iembership Si 5/Month
> $l "/>rrd!<ui ■ n* m >» m «
am m*
r—
U. Drive
Hits H H ^ Bump ^ Road _
W am w
in
V >■ '
t
if ^ i,
J* U
/
. - jjW&Mw'
A view of State University Drive looking south from the base of the Wildcat Monument. Area residents
are expressing strong opposition to plans to build islands in the middle lane for beautification and traffic
control, while supporting the rest or the Streetscape project. Residents say the islands would alter the
character of the street and cause problems during FVSU Homecoming. Photo by Victor Kulkosky
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
The picture presented at last
Wednesday's forum on the State
University Drive Streetscape project
was a pretty one, but elected officials
said their constituents want to redraw
the middle of the picture.
The meeting at Fort Valley City Hall
was held to give area residents more
information on the project and to give
them a chance to air their views on
the $1.5 million project. At the last
Local Legislators
Preview 2012 Session
BitS I
0
/ '
J
r
County Commissioner Michael Dinkins, center, chats with State Reps. Lynmore James and Robert Dickey
before last week's Legislative preview at the Austin Theater. Photo by Victor Kulkosky
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
The message from area legislators
at a Legislative Preview last week was
simple: Expect tweaks but no major
changes
Tax Season begins
January 17, 2012
^ f Time
T«
each week
for tips and
services
See page 11
City Council meeting, Preston King,
spokesman for a local citizens' group,
voiced opposition on behalf the group
to the part of the streetscape plan that
would place traffic control islands in
the middle of State University Drive.
The meeting was called in response to
those concerns.
Tray Gavin of Carter & Sloop, long¬
time city engineers, brought along a
table-length drawing of the project,
which would extend from the Wildcat
monument at the beginning of State
University Drive to Ira Hicks Blvd.
State Reps Lynmore James and
Robert Dickey and State Sen. Cecil
Staton were the guests at a Legislative
Preview forum sponsored by the Peach
County Chamber of Commerce, held
last Tuesday evening at the Austin
Theater in downtown Fort Valley.
1 Pf •uch Publishing ( it. N cm s/ta/h'i
y \
P^kbj
About 45% of money spent at a
local business stays in the
14% community at big-box compared store. to These only
a
dollars not only cycle through
the community many times, but
they fund also produce tax revenues
to schools and safe streets
The project as envisioned would repave
the street, install antique-looking
streetlights, place intermittent curbs
extending into the outside lanes, and
place intermittent islands in the center
lane, which would be planted with low
shrubs and include streetlights.
Gavin said the islands would be
from 150 to 300 feet apart; some
would be integrated into crosswalks of
stamped concrete that look like bricks.
The design is similar to sections of
Continued to page 3
New legislative districts would likely
leav* James and Dickey represent
ing roughly the same parts of Peach
County as before, while Staton's new
18th Senate District would include all
Continued to page 9
Byron
Council
Wrestles
With Own
Contract
Rules
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
The first meeting of the Byron
Mayor and Council for 2012 began
with an announcement of an approach¬
ing historic moment.
Mayor Larry Collins read excerpts
from a letter from City Clerk Betty
Sims announcing her retirement effec¬
tive Feb. 2, 2013. The letter also
said Sims would celebrate her 35th
year of service to the city in October
2012. In her letter, Sims said she
would step down from her current post
as City Administrator and recommend
Assistant City Clerk Derrick Hayes for
the post. She further recommended
Tina Allred prepare to take over her
position as City Clerk upon Sims’
retirement.
The council subsequently voted
unanimously to appoint Hayes to the
City Administrator post as recom¬
mended.
Some items on the agenda did not go
as smoothly.
The first snag came when the coun¬
cil considered renewing the annual
contract with the Byron Convention
and Visitors Bureau. The contract
actually expired at the end of 2011, but
the city's own ordinance requires any
contract over $500 to be before the
council for one month before a vote,
unless an emergency is declared. The
council accepted Councilman Michael
Chidester's motion to do so, with the
explanation that the CVB would not be
able to receive any city funds or per¬
form its functions without an approved
contract. Chidester asked new City
Administrator Hayes to ensure annual
contracts such as the one with CVB
go before the council a month before
they expire.
The city’s contract ordinance also
complicated consideration of the sec¬
ond contract for Master Sewer System
Improvements, known as Contract "B,"
which is the last leg of the city’s con¬
nection to the Macon Water and Sewer
Authority. Public Works Director
William McDaniel told the council
Pyles Plumbing & Utility Contractors
Inc. was the low bidder at $598,510.
After several minutes of discussion,
the council approved Chidester’s
motion to accept the bid but take no
other action until the council could
approve a contract.
In other business, Alan Dorsey of
Alan's Towing addressed the council
concerning issues with on-call wrecker
service and maintenance work on city
vehicles. Regarding wrecker services,
Dorsey said he is the only one of
three wrecker companies in Byron that
has equipment to handle very large
wrecks such as semis and RVs, but 911
has several times called the on-call
wrecker. This has led to disputes over
whose lot the wrecked vehicle, and
the fees that go with it, should go to.
Chief Wesley Canon told the council
that the city ordinance does specify
which wrecker should get which call,
but officers and 911 dispatchers are not
all equally aware of it and officers on
the scene, who are concerned with han¬
dling traffic, might not pay attention
to who takes wrecked vehicles away.
Council members suggested the city's
ordinance concerning wrecker services
Continued to page 3