About The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2007)
HaPP-y NeW JfeaR J ™ Wiregrass Farmer Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2007 ASHBURN, GA, 31714 VOL 107 - No. 52 • 500 /Around Town \ Band Calendars The 2008 Band Calendars are now on sale. They are only $3 each. To purchase a calendar see any band student or Mr. Lyons. Chamber banquet The Annual Ashbum Turner County Chamber of Commerce banquet is set for Friday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 P.M. at Turner County Civic Center. Entertainment Karla Heath Sands and the Reflections Band. Dinner is steak and all the trimmings. Tickets are $30 each. Tickets avail able at Chamber office only through Friday, Jan. 11. Firefighting 101 Module 1 Firefighter class at Ashbum Fire/Rescue. We will have an organizational meeting on Jan. 14 at 6 pm at Ashburn Fire Station #2 Those interested should be 18 years old, valid Driver’s License, and a desire to become part of team to promote and help Ashburn. To register call 567-4952 Annex Holiday Hours Courthouse Annex, Tax Commissioners, Building/Zoning, Tax Assessor, and Executive Office will be closed from Dec. 24-28, 2007. We will reopen on Dec. 31 AND be closed on Jan. 1, 2008. Reopen on Jan. 2. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Probate/Superior Court Holidays The Offices of Probate Court and Clerk of Superior Court in the Turner County Courthouse will be closed from Dec. 24th through Jan. 1st. We will reopen on Jan. 2nd. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Pilot club The Ashburn Pilots Association is having monthly meetings at 7 P.M. at the Airport Terminal Building. We will have a theme each month concern ing sport aircraft and fly ing. If you are interested in aircraft, flying, or learn ing to fly, please come and join us. We will meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM at the Airport Terminal Building. Watering ban City of Sycamore ask that there be no outdoor watering until further notice. We ask all residents to cut back 10% wherever possible. Georgia Water is requesting this. Obituaries Frances Hobby Reynolds, 83, Ashburn Complete obituary information is on Page 5 V J Serving Turner County Since 1902 Zoning request passes P&Z by Ben Baker Editor Zoning for a planned ethanol plant just south of the state detention center in Sycamore should be approved, according to a vote of the Greater Turner County Planning and Zoning board (P&Z). The decision is a recommendation. It now goes to the County Commission. The Commissioners will hold a public hearing Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Board of Education meet ing room. P&Z met last week to hold a public hear ing on the rezoning request and an amend ment to the Turner County zoning ordinance. The decision to recommend approval of the “special exception” as the zoning request was called was not unanimous. Scotty Wilkerson, a Sycamore City Councilman, voted against the motion. Royce Peacock gave the motion to approve the request and Gail Walls gave the second. The amendment to the zoning code came first (see callout box at right). Once that was done, P&Z took up the special exception for the ethanol plant. County Zoning Administrator Mike Mastrario said the text amendment to the zon ing code would then allow the ethanol plant to be eligible for a special exception instead of a rezoning. He said the text amendment to the zoning code is needed regardless of the final decision on the ethanol plant. With the text amendment, “the land will not change use. If the plant doesn’t materialize, we’re not stuck with 190 acres where something might come in we don’t want,” he said, “site specific,” he said. “This will allow the ag use to remain the same in the event the plant doesn’t work.” The special exception is site specific for the ethanol plant. The text amendment if approved by the Commission will cover all ag-zoned areas in the County. (See CORN Page 3) ; - * 4 ' l -1 Mastrario A text amendment to the Turner County zoning code was approved unanimously by P&Z. The amendment, if approved by the County Commission, expands the definition of the Agriculture Zoning to include ag-related busi nesses. The text amendment is not A BIG PINE TREE comes down at the west Ashburn Fire & Rescue Station. Chief Brian Meadows said several trees toppled in the tornado last week, keeping emergency crews from getting out of the station. He said by removing several more trees the same thing won’t happen again. Moody enjoying apprenticeship work Turner County High School senior Lauren Moody is enjoy ing her second year as an apprentice at H & R Block in Ashbum. Lauren is supervised by Mrs. Carol Garrett who praises Lauren’s willingness to learn. “She is a fine young lady and does a great job. I have enjoyed having her here work ing with our team. Lauren is very dependable and highly motivated,” Mrs. Garrett said. Wayne Baxter, Youth Apprenticeship coordinator said “Mrs. Garrett has super vised several Youth Apprenticeship students. I Lauren Moody really appreciate her support of our program. YAP could not exist without the support of businesses who are willing to give students a chance to earn and learn.” Lauren is very appreciative of H & R Block employing her for going on two years. “ I have learned a lot about accounting while working here. I also have come to realize how important computer skills are out here in the real world of work. I appreciate what YAP has done for me and I highly recommend that students take advantage of this program.” $370k on the way U.S. Representative Jim Marshall announced Congress passed H.R. 2764, with $370,000 in funding for pro jects in Turner County. These projects are: $61,100 to help the Turner County Sheriff’s Office pur chase computer sta tions and records maintenance software. $84,600 to pur chase radio systems, in-car cameras, and body armor for the Ashburn Police Department. $150,000 for airport reno vations at the Turner County Airport. $75,000 to purchase emer gency power generators for Ashburn’s City Hall, Police Department, and both Fire Stations. The adopted legislation rep resents eleven of the twelve annual appropriations bills. “I am pleased to announce funding for these projects,” said Marshall. “I worked hard to ensure these projects survived the appropriations process, and I’m very happy with the results.” The House and Senate have both passed H.R. 2764, the Foreign Operations Appropriations/Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008. The next step for this legisla tion is receiving the President’s signature, which is expected before the start of 2008. Marshall County bridge work moving right along by Ben Baker Editor The County Commission has budgeted most of the pre sent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) money for bridge and culvert repair. The repair work came after a Department of Transportation report stating many of the bridges and culverts needed repair. Exactly how much repair was needed was some what overstated at the time, said Road Superintendent J.B. Newell. Some of the bridges, without repairs, would have weight lim its posted on them. Mr. Newell said that does not mean the bridges are dangerous, only that the bridge has a load limit. The work is going right along, Mr. Newell said. “We’re working on it along and along. We’ve still got some rail replacement and some ero sion damage to repair,” he said. “It’s not something we can do every day.” He said it’s hard to put an exact figure on how far along the work is, but he estimated the Road Department is about halfway through. Mr. Newell supplied this written report to The Wiregrass when contacted about the bridge and culvert repair work: We have 18 bridges and 16 bridge culverts throughout our County, which are inspected by the Department of Transportation biannually. Once the Department of Transportation comes and eval uates the condition of these bridge structures they send the County a report on the condi tion of these structures with recommended measures to cor rect a problem if one exist. Some of the things the inspec tors are looking for but not lim ited to in their inspection are erosion problems, failed deck joints, corrosion of metal bridge components, and the strength of the piles and caps the actual structure sits on. Just as with anything else that is man made with age there comes maintenance. We do have some bridges that are still in use, that were built back in 1958. As the bridge ages the weight ratings will be lowered by the state unless corrective measures are taken to upgrade these structures. When a report comes in from the state on our bridges they tell the County what to post a structure for if posting is neces sary. The Department of Transportation will put in their report on certain bridges that are posted wording like a replacement structure is required to upgrade this struc ture to a point where posting is no longer required. This does not mean that this structure has to be replaced or is unsafe at its current weight rating. This only says that if we wanted to upgrade this structure where posting would no longer be required we would have to replace this stmcture. In 2005 we did have 3 bridges in the County that we had to pour concrete encase- (See BRIDGE Page 2) This does not mean that this structure has to be replaced or is unsafe at its current weight rating. JB Newell Road Supt. I don't really have a New Year's resolution to go on a diet or anything like that. I am who I am, and I don't want to be somebody else. Karolina Kurkova
