Newspaper Page Text
Volume XXXIV - Number 7
Leesburg, Georgia - - October 5,2011
Fifty Cents
alarms and a home fire
escape plan, keeping things
that can burn away from the
stove and always turning
off space heaters before
going to bed,” says Com
missioner Hudgens. “Be
sure to change the battery
in your smoke detector
often. Remember, lire is a
dangerous opponent, but
by anticipating the hazards,
you are much less likely to
be one of the nearly 13,000
people injured nationally in
home fires each year.”
Hudgens offers the fol
lowing tips for protecting
your home and family from
fire:
Stay in the kitchen while
you are frying, grilling or
broiling food. If you leave
the kitchen for even a short
period of time, turn the
stove off.
Keep anything that can
burn at least three feet away
from heating equipment,
like the furnace, fireplace
with a fire screen, wood
stove or portable space
heater.
Have a three-foot “kid-
free zone” around open
fires and space heaters.
Replace or repair dam
aged or loose electrical
cords.
If you smoke, smoke
outside.
Use deep, wide ashtrays
on a sturdy table.
Blow out all candles when
you leave the room or go
to bed. Avoid the use of
candles in the bedroom and
other areas where people
may fall asleep.
To help kick off Fire
Prevention Week early.
Commissioner Hudgens is
conducting a special state
wide fire drill on Wednes
day, October 5 at 10:00 am.
For more information on
planned activities, please
contact your local fire
department or call Com
missioner Hudgens’ Public
Education Division at 404-
657-0831.
BANK
of LEE
COUNTY
A Division of Bank of Terrell
3000 N. Slappey Blvd., Albany
(229) 446-0102 FDll
www.bankofleeco.com
Downtown
Development
Authority of
Smithville will
meet
at the
City Hall
at 7 p.m.
on Monday,
October 10
To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413
Four Permits Issued
For New Homes
During the month of
September 2011, the Lee
County Building Permit
Office issued four permits
for single family dwellings
in the unincorporated area
of Lee County.
The estimated construc
tion cost of the four homes
in the unincorporated
area of Lee County was
$504,675.00.
During September,
six permits were issued
for mobile homes in the
unincorporated area of Lee
County.
One demolition of resi
dential permit was issued
in the in the unincorpo
rated area of Lee County
during September.
Is Your Home Safe?
North, Leesburg
The Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of David and Starla Brokamp
Submitted Photo
State Representative Ed Rynders read to Lee County Pre-K students Tuesday.
Lee County Pre-K to Welcomes
Representative Ed Rynders
Special to the Ledger
It’s not very common for a
busy elected official to sit in
a pint-sized chair alongside
a group of 4-year-olds.
Nor does it happen every
day that scores of legisla
tors around Georgia are
doing the same thing in
Pre-K classrooms in their
districts. And, it’s also not
very often that all eyes will
turn to tens of thousands of
Georgia’s youngest children
to celebrate the important
work they are doing to get
ready for school success in
the 3,909 Pre-K classrooms
in all 159 counties across
the state.
That’s what is happen
ing October 3-7 when Lee
County Pre-K is pleased
to be actively involved
in Georgia Pre-K Week,
the first-ever event of its
kind hosted by Voices for
Georgia’s Children (www.
georgiavoices.org) and its
partners. The highlight
was on October 3rd when
Representative Ed Rynders
spent the morning at the
center and learned first
hand what happens in a
high-quality early learning
classroom.
“We are so honored that
Representative Ed Rynders
is taking time away from
his demanding schedule to
spend some time with us,”
said Jan Duke, director of
Lee County Pre-K. “We
can’t wait to show him how
revenue from the state’s
lottery is being put to such
important use in help
ing 4-year-olds from Lee
County get the skills they
need in language, literacy
H
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www.ddrins.com
Lee County
Commissioners
will meet Tuesday,
October 11
at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting will
be held at the
T. Page Tharp
Governmental
Building,
Opal Cannon
Auditorium, 102
Starksville Avenue
and so many other areas
that are critical to helping
them succeed in school.”
Representative Ed
Rynders was at Lee County
Pre-K from approximately
10:00 a.m. until about 10:30
a.m. on Monday, October
3,2011 in the Lee County
Board of Education Meet
ing Room. While there, he
participated in a reading
activity with the children,
took a tour of the facility.
Special to the Ledger
by Bill Satterfield
I first became aware of
Radium Springs in the
spring of 1954. My family
had just moved to Albany
from Columbus and my
parents were on the alert
for activities to distract
my brother and me during
the hot summer to come.
At the time, Tift Park Zoo
was an obvious choice
since it was free and only
a mile from our new
house. Not so obvious was
Radium Springs. Everyone
knew of “The Springs”,
as locals knew it, and ev
eryone recommended it as
an afternoon’s distraction
for kids. The down side
was that it was all the way
across town. In those days
a five mile trip across town
was an event to be planned
weeks in advance.
Over the next eight
years or so we spent many
Saturday afternoons in the
cold 68 degree water of
talked with the staff, and
got an up-close look at the
many ways that the center
is supporting early learning
“Pre-K is about learning
and getting children on a
path to reading proficiency
so that when they reach
third grade they can make
the important educational
leap from learning to read
to reading to learn,” said
Pat Willis, executive direc
tor of Voices for Georgia’s
The Springs. Some of my
fondest memories from
childhood were diving into
the boil from the spring
board. Almost everyone in
attendance could see the
board from wherever they
were around the springs.
There was a huge white
multi-story building that
was known as the Ca
sino. The Casino seemed
suspended above the
concrete walk on one side
of the water as if it were
painted on the hill side by
an artist. Across the water
from the Casino was a
sand beach where families
spread picnic blankets. In
the middle of the springs
was a raised island sur
rounded by a rock wall.
It was a thrill knowing
that all of the folks on the
Casino patio, the sandy
beach and the island could
see the boys diving from
the spring board. When I
say everyone I really mean
THE GIRLS!
Children, an advocacy
organization. “Pre-K week
is an exciting opportunity
to showcase Lee County
Pre-K and the many other
quality Pre-K centers we
have in Georgia.”
Lee County’s Pre-K
Program was established
in 1993 and presently has
10 classrooms serving 220
children with 2 additional
classes for 3-5 year olds
with special needs.
During the years from
1962, when I graduated
from high school, until
the great flood of 1994
the family atmosphere
of The Springs seemed
to deteriorate. The beach
was taken over by unsu
pervised teens and older
young people with beer
coolers. Each time I visited
the crowd seemed to be
more and more about
partying and less and less
about family. There was a
time in those years when
the swimming area didn’t
even open for the sum
mer months. In 1994 the
Flint River flooded and,
for all practical purposes,
killed The Springs forever.
There was always talk of
rebuilding the Casino and
swimming area but the
talks never really gained
any traction. What little
headway toward rebuilding
was gained was again lost
when a second flood again
devastated The Springs.
Specicd to the Ledger
Insurance and Safety
Fire Commissioner Ralph
Hudgens and the National
Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) remind Georgians
that Fire Prevention Week
is October 9-15. The theme
this year is, “Protect Your
Family From Fire.”
This year, Hudgens and
fire personnel around the
state will be focusing on
preventing the leading
causes of home fires: cook
ing, heating and electri
cal equipment, as well
as candles and smoking
materials.
“In 2009,2,565 people
died in home fires nation
wide. Nearly all of these
deaths could have been
prevented by taking a few
simple precautions like
having working smoke
The second flood hit in
1998. FEMA, the Federal
disaster people, decided
that putting any reclama
tion money into the old
Casino was not to be. The
State ended up buying
the seven acre property in
2000. In town there was
a move to tear down the
Casino and another move
to save it. Ultimately the
building was demolished
and the area more or less
abandoned. The rebuild
ing proponents remained
active behind the scenes
and after some time were
able to have some special
project sales tax money
earmarked for rehabilitat
ing the area. In 2004 the
SPLOST that included the
Radium project was passed
by the voters of Dougherty
County and $2.5 million
appropriated to start the
rehabilitation project. In
the meantime the State
see Springs,
Page 2A
Radium Revisited
