Newspaper Page Text
County Ledger
(^our Hometown Source of Cocal flews
Hometown Newspaper of James and Joby Dearing
Volume XXIV - Number 10
Leesburg, Georgia -- October 18,2001
Fifty Cents
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LEESBURG
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County Awards Bid For
Courthouse Renovation
Lee County officials held a ground breaking ceremony for the new fire station
that is being built in Leesburg. The station should be open in the summer of
2002. Commissioner Billy Mathis stated that the new station would be named
the “Charles Hardison/Leesburg Fire and EMS Station”. Pictured on the front
row is Fire Chief Charles Hardison. On the back row are Commissioners Jackie
McCorkle, Billy Mathis, Lewis Harris and Eddie Hinman.
Lee County Board of Commis
sioners accepted a bid from
McDonald Contracting from Al
bany for the renovation of the
county courthouse. McDonald
Contracting submitted the low bid
of $376,805. However, the county
commissioners will review pro
posed changes to the original bids
that may reduce the cost of the
projects. Some of the possible
changes include a different ceiling
tile, metal door facing and a dif
ferent glass in the proposed walls
in the main lobby.
The renovation project includes
building a ramp on the north side
of the building for handicap acces
sibility, converting the existing
public restrooms on the first floor
into handicap accessible, building
new public handicap accessible
restrooms in the magistrate court
area, repointing the exterior bricks
to avoid water penetration,
reglazing all windows, repainting
the entire interior and exterior
paintable surfaces, removing the
entire old jail area and construct
ing a new first floor courtroom in
its place and upgrading the build
ing to current life/safety and fire
codes and adding a metal canopy
between the courthouse and the
administration building.
Jerome Brown representing
Golden Triangle R C & D Coun
cil explained the benefits of
membership in that organization
to the commissioners. Annual
membership dues for the county
would be $400 and the county
would have two members on the
board of directors. Golden Tri
angle R C & D is currently work
ing with nine counties in the lo
cal area with plans to expand to
14 counties. Mr. Brown high
lighted several of the projects that
his agency could assist the county
with including dry hydrants pro
gram, rural road projects and
stripping road project. Golden
Triangle provides technical assis
tance to the local government
bodies.
Pamela Harris, a concerned citi
zen, spoke to the commissioners
concerning the Open meeting Act
and the present fire station in the
Smithville-Chokee District.
Mrs. Harris questioned the
length of time that the commis
sioners were in executive session.
Billy Mathis, Commission Chair
man, told her that the commis
sion would have their executive
session at the end of the meeting
for the convenience of the citi
zens attending the meeting.
Mrs. Harris requested that the
commission look at funding sala
ries of firemen to man the fire sta
tions in the Smithville-Chokee
District. Chairman Mathis ex
plained that the commission plan
to budget new fire and E.M.S. fa
cilities for every district. The
Palmyra and Century districts
have facilities. Plans are for Lees
burg and Redbone district to be
gin construction on new facili
ties. A new station is planned
next year for Smithville.
Commissioner Jackie
McCorkle stressed the need for
trained volunteer firefighters in
the Smithville - Chokee District.
He highlighted the efforts of the
volunteers in other districts.
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Colony Bank Holds Ribbon
Cutting At New Facility
Ronnie L. Middlebrooks, City
President of Colony Bank Lee,
proudly cut the grand opening
ribbon on October 4,2001 to wel
come the public to the newest
Colony Bank full-service facility.
Located at 2609 Ledo Road,
Colony Bank officially opened to
the public on Monday. August 13,
2001.
Due to continuing growth in
Lee County, Colony Bank felt it
was necessary to offer its custom
ers two full service branches.
The staff would like to invite ev
eryone to come in and visit our
beautiful new branch. Lobby
hours at the new branch will be
Mon-Fri from 9-5. Drive through
hours will be extended until 6 pm
Mon-Thurs., 7 pm on Fri. and
Saturday 9-1.
Doherty
Duggan
zrRouse
Insurors
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (912) 888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (912) 435-3036
www.ddrins.com
High School
Homecoming
Parade
Thursday
November 1
Game
Friday
November 2
Kathy Ludwig Promoted
To Branch Manager
Luke Flatt. President and CEO
of Regions Bank, South Georgia,
announced the promotion of Kathy
Ludwig to Banking Officer and
Branch Manager of the Leesburg
office. Ludwig joined the former
First State Bank & Trust Company
in 1997. Her banking experience
includes customer call center su
pervisor, deposit operations,
branch customer service represen
tative, Assistant Branch Manager
and Retail lender . She recently
served as Assistant Branch Man
ager and Retail Lender at the Daw
son Road Office in Albany.
Ludwig is a member of the First
Assembly of God Church, the Lee
County Chamber of Commerce,
Kathy Ludwig
the Albany Civitans and the Lee
County Athletic Booster.
BUFFALO ROCK
Veterans
Appreciation
Day
10:00 a.m.
October 20
Sponsored by
VFW Post
2785
315 Philema
Road
Giddens Named Firefighter Of The Year
Albany Fire Department Captain Pete Giddens (right) was
named the Albany Exchange Club’s firefighter of the year
for the third time in his 23 year career. Captain Giddens
was honored last Friday for attempting to save the life of
Christopher L. Schafer, a Cairo man, last October. Mr.
Schafer was accidently electrocuted while working.
Presenting Giddens with the award is Exchangite Bobby
Jones (left).
Colony Bank continues to build
on its reputation of providing ex
cellent customer service with fast
local decisions and friendly, cour
teous personnel with a full range
of products and services avail
able. Among these are loan pro
grams, investment services, inter
net banking, mortgage services,
a variety of savings and deposit
accounts and safe deposit boxes.
Colony Bank first came to the
Lee County area five years ago
with the supermarket branch in
side Winn Dixie followed by a
loan-processing center. The Lees
burg full service facility opened
in the fall of 1998. The tremen
dous growth and demand of our
customers necessitated an addi
tional full service facility. Staff-
Smithville Improvement Group will sponsor the Sixth Annual Chicken Pie Festival
Saturday, October 27. Pictured are Charlene Usry, Zaida Poupard, Marinelle
Hickman, Jennelle Larkins, Barbara Pines, Beverly Veal, and Smithville Mayor
Jack Smith.
Smithville *s Annual Chicken Pie
Festival To Be Held October 27
ing at the Ledo Road branch in
cludes: two loan officers, an ad
ministrative assistant, customer
service representatives, branch
manager, Georgia First Mort
gage originator, head teller and
three full-time tellers.
Colony Bank Lee posted as
sets of $65.6 million, loans of
$61.8 million and deposits of
$50 million period ending 9/30/
01. Colony Bankcorp, Inc. ser
vices a fourteen county area in
South Georgia through a net
work of twenty offices located
in Leesburg, Albany, Ashbum,
Broxton, Chester, Cordele, Dou
glas, Eastman, Fitzgerald,
Moultrie, Pitts. Rochelle,
Soperton, Sylvester, Tifton and
Warner Robbins.
The sixth annual Chicken Pie
Festival will be held Saturday,
October 27. The festival will start
at 10:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m.
Activities include arts and crafts,
horseshoe tournament, chicken pie
contest, entertainment, children’s
activities and entertainment. The
Chicken Pie Cafe opens at 11:30,
the chicken pie contest is at noon
and the horseshoe tournament be
gins at 10:30 a.m.
The Chicken Pie Festival is spon
sored by the Smithville Improve
ment Group. It is held annually
in Smithville on the last Saturday
in October.
From the nostalgic past comes
memories of Smithville’s famed
McAfee Hotel. Nationally known
as the “chicken house”, it was a
legend in its time. The hotel was
a regular stop for the Central of
Georgia Railroad for breakfast
and dinner
William Madison McAfee, who
was a founder of the hotel before
the Civil War, left a scrapbook
with pictures and many stories
about the hotel. The hotel burned
in 1933. leaving behind memo
ries of its crusty pies and an era
of time dear to those who visited
the famous McAfee House,