Newspaper Page Text
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ttor Kulkosky workshops and the annual Trib this special edition made me take
■ cut each 11111 week % The hard News work Editor of the Leader- ____ Company The for Best Leader-Tribune Advertising Special Issue won Contest. and 1 st Place Best a a filled closer good-looking with look moving ... publication, and stories it is not that it just is 1 \ if
Tribune staff paid off last weekend Signature Idea. promise ... touched a lot of hearts
for tips & with two 1 st Place awards at “At first, I thought 1 was being in Peach County.”
the annual Trib Publications influenced by the ‘slick’ appearance "First Ladies of Peach and
services Advertising Seminar and Contest. of ‘First Ladies of Peach,”’ wrote Women at Work," published in
The annual event brings together contest judge Billy Fleming with Spring 2011, featured a full-color
advertising staff from over 34 the Early County News., "But.
Sm poga 12 Trib in several states for the comments submitted with Continued to page 3
papers
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Peach
Legal Organ For Peach County ; City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron
A
Funeral Notices:
Albert W. "A.W" Dorsey, Jr. - Moron
James Allen "Jimmuy" Doy - Byron
Obituary Notices on Page 6
I
•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 Commissioners: 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 Com-mission: Every
2nd Monday. 6 p.m.. Public Meeting
Room, Ft. Valley City Hall.
•Water & 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 & 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,.Troutman House Conference Room
Local
Weather
Forecast
Sunny Wednesday, Jan. 18
Hi: 58*
Lo: 33*
Sunny Thursday. Jan. 19
Hi: 63*
Lo: 39*
Sunny Friday, Jan. 20
Hi: 65*
Lo: 49*
Sunny Saturday, Jan. 21
Hi: 65 m
Lo: 46*
Sunny Sunday, Jan. 22
Hi: 62*
Lo: 38*
What’s
INSIDE
Paach Is fr Out 2
Police Beat...... 5
Opinion I
. ............... 5
Faith Matter* •••••••••••••••••••a 6
sports ■ , ... .. a a 7
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Ugals HaNMmaNaaamaHttM 8-10
Oaasifiod! 11
Tax Tina. •••••••••••••••••••••••a It
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A.W. Dorsey: Voice of the Trojans
By Billy Powell
Editor s Note: This article was written
in 2004 by Billy Powell and revised to
reflect his passing.
A familiar figure roamed the
sidelines of Peach County Trojan
football games, wearing a black and
gold Peach County Trojans cap and
team jacket when the weather required
it. He blended in perfectly with the
coaching stafT and players, making
himself as inconspicuous as possible,
yet seizing the vantage point to observe
every snap of the ball, every pass,
every run, every tackle. Sometimes he
jotted down a brief note. But mostly he
mentally recorded play-by-play of the
game so he can report it on the sports
pages of The Leader-Tribune. His
name was A.W. Dorsey, the Voice of
the Trojans. His love of Peach County
High School was obvious. He freely
gave of his energies, his talents, and his
time to provide a sports forum for the
community.
AW. Dorsey and the Leader Tribune
are to be commended for providing
a servicS” of which few weekly
newspapers can boast. The team
appreciated it, the school appreciated
it, and the community appreciated
it. The privilege of reading about the
hometown team not only engendered
school pride among fans and supporters
but sparked interest in the team
throughout the county.
A.W. Passed away early Monday
Peed Presents Good News About Hospital
a'
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An artist's rendering of the front of the new Medical Center of Peach County. The actual building is likely to look different to
some degree. Illustration courtesy of Hinson, Miller & Kickirillo
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
Nancy Peed began her presentation
to the ICiwanis Club of Fort Valley with
the well-known quote from Chinese
philosopher Lao Tzu: “The journey of
a thousand miles begins with one step."
The image beneath the quote showed
a long, winding road snaking its way
through semi-and land.
But Peed, Chief Executive Officer of
Peach Regional Medical Center, was
there last Thursday to talk about the
end of the road - let’s say PRMC is
now on about the 990 1 " mile.
“We’ve got good news for you," she
said.
The evolving partnership between
PRMC and the parent company of the
Medical Center of Central Georgia is
evolving, with expected approval by
the state Attorney General just days
M ray, groundbreaking set for March
29 ® and construction scheduled to
begin May I, Peed said.
“We’re engaged,” Peed said, but the
partnership is not quite complete.
The Medical Center is about as
attractive a partner as a small rural
hospital could imagine, as Peed
explained while showing a slide listing
AMIIiOV fliU
Submitted Photo
morning of complications from
diabetes and a stroke. He was 75 years
old.
Trib Publications President Bob
Tribble wrote the following in tribute;
A.W. was a very dedicated
sports writer and really enjoyed
covering Peach County sports and
writing his personal opinion column.
He will be missed at The Leader
Tribune tor his outstanding work.”
Peach Publishing Co. General
Manager Judy Robinson wrote the
following:
“My heart is deeply grieved by the
loss of not only a wonderful friend but
a wonderful employee as well. A.W.
Loved Peach County Football. I have
seen him get up and go to football
the larger hospital’s rare combination
of features such as one of 13 neonatal
intensive care units out of 189 hospitals
in the state, one of five children’s
hospitals, one of only four Level
I Trauma Centers certified to treat
the most severe injuries, one of six
teaching hospitals, the only one with an
affiliated acute rehabilitation hospital,
the largest heart center and the state -
and the only hospital in the state with
all of those features and more.
“They brought resources we could
never have brought to bear on our
own,” Peed said.
PRMC and the Medical center
already signed a management
agreement in November 2011, which
assigns day-to-day management of the
Peach County hospital to the MCCG,
which has provided about $1 million in
short-term loans to PRMC
A hearing with representatives of the
Georgia Attorney General was held in
Macon on Dec. 15,2011. The AG must
evaluate the partnership to determine
if it will continue to meet the needs
of patients in the area. (A decision
was expected cither by Friday, Jan.
13, 2012 or Monday, Jan. 16, 2012,
but with Monday being a holiday, the
decision will likely not be announced
games when he could barely walk,
Often, 1 would ask A.W. if he was up to
going, and he would always say, ‘yes,
M’atn, 1 wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
What a great loss. Our hearts are
sad and he will surely be missed,
A.W. was bom in Fort Valley and
graduated from Fort Valley High
School in 1956. He moved to Warner
Robins and later to Macon and helped
raise'his niece, Staci, whose parents
are deceased. A.W. remained active
in the Fort Valley community. He is
a charter member of the Fort Valley
Evangelical Church, where he served
in various capacities for over 20 years,
from Sunday School teacher to Deacon
Continued to page 3
until Tuesday, January 17).
In the meantime, the partners have
move ahead with a 40-year lease on
the new hospital. The MCCG, or
technically its parents company, Ccntral
Georgia Health System, will lease the
new hospital, which will remain the
property of the Peach County Hospital
Authority. The Medical Center has an
option to buy the hospital if MCCG
provides at least $2 million in indigent
care (the equivalent of the value of
local SPLOST funds contributed to
construction of the new hospital). The
MCCG has the option to buy after 10
years regardless.
Meanwhile, the Medical Center will
spend from $27 million to $30 million
to build the new hospital. Updated
plans now call for a medical office
building to be built on the 20-acre
site, to include doctor’s offices, space
for outpatient physical therapy and IV
therapy. Peed said the medical office
building would cost about $1 million to
SI.5 million.
“We felt it was more than fair to give
them the buy option after ail they’d
contributed,” Peed said.
Peed also thanked the Peach County
Board of Commissioners for their
Continued to 3
County
Enacts
Off-Road
Vehicle
Law
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■ssa
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
Ah, the thrill of the four-wheeler; the
open air, the wind rushing in your face,
the mud flinging in wide arcs, the rush
ongoing airborne over a hump.
If this is a description of how you
spend your leisure time in Peach
County, you are hereby notified thal the
Board of Commissioners has laid down
some rules relating to your beloved off¬
road vehicle.
After urging from Public Works,
the Peach County Sheriff’s Office and
property owners, the Peach County
Board of Commissioners passed
an Oft-Road Vehicles Ordinance at
last Tuesday’s regular meeting. The
ordinance went into effect immediately
upon signing.
At a public hearing. Public Works
Director Paul Schwindler said damage
to public roads and ditches from off¬
road vehicles has been a constant
problem and expense. He also said
several foundations of roads ready for
paving had been damaged by ORV’s,
requiring $1,000 - $2,000 in repairs
each time.
Commissioner Martin Moseley
added that farmers regularly complain
about ORV’s on their property.
“It’s just relentless,” Moseley said.
Schwindler said state law on ORV’s
only requires that they be equipped with
mufflers and lights, but allows local
government to add further restrictions.
Continued to page 3
Commissioners
Okay $30M
Hospital Bond
Issue
No Liability for County
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
One of the last remaining pieces
of the new Peach County hospital
puzzle is in place after commissioners
approved a resolution concerning a
bond issue to finance construction of
the hospital. The Macon-Bibb County
Hospital Autltority plans to issue
$30,000,000 in revenue anticipation
bonds to finance the new hospital
planned for the intersection of John
E. Sullivan Road and 247 Connector
in Byron. Peach Regional Medical
Center has formed a partnership
with the company that operates the
Medical Center of Georgia in Macon
(the partnership is awaiting approval
by the Georgia Attorney General).
Agreements between PRMC, the
Peach County Hospital Authority
and the MCCG call for the Macon
to