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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 Doherty, Duggan & Rouse Insurors AN EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040 Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040 2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036 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