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Page 6 - The Wiregrass Farmer, January 7,2015
Scout earns badge for monument work
NEW COMMISSIONER
On September 14, 2014
Patrick Tucker and his father
Eddie Tucker came before the
Ben Hill Chapter of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy
in Fitzgerald about his wanting
to take this project of repairing
and cleaning the Jeff Davis
Monument as a way to get his
Eagle Scout Badge. He asked
for our help in the project and
we were presented the item
ized cost that it would take to
do the project. We voted to
help so with the help of dona
tions from outside business
and the members of the UDC
chapter, he has finished the
project. He spent 138 volunteer
hours to accomplish this proj
ect, so here is the before pic
ture of the monument and in
November the beautiful fin
ished job afterwards. Oh Yes!
His father was there helping
also, I am sure.
We want to thank all that
had a hand in helping this to
become a dream come true for
a young man.
Patrick Tucker and Jeff Davis Manager John Hughes in front of the Jeff Davis Mon
ument before it was cleaned and repaired.
The monument site now.
Nick Denham (r) was sworn into office as a County Commissioner last week at the
courthouse by Superior Court Judge Bill Reinhardt.
County Manager’s monthly report
Phillip Crawford to be BOE chairman
For the first time in more
than a decade, the Board of Ed
ucation will have a new chair
man.
Phillip Crawford was
tapped at Monday night’s
workshop meeting to become
the new chairman, replacing
Sam Brown who has held that
post for 12 years. Ann
Kendrick will replace Mr.
Crawford as vice chair.
During discussion, Mrs.
Kendrick said she felt the
The Turner County School
board will soon have to choose
what kind of system the
schools here will be.
The three options, which are
still being defined by the state
are: Status Quo, IESquared and
Charter.
1) The status quo means
keep things as they are, except
under the current rules the
school system could not get
waivers to be exempt from cer
tain state mandates.
2) IE2 is the short version of
Investing in Educational Ex
cellence. Created in 2008, IE2
requires the school board to
have a contract with the state
which spells out certain goals
for the schools. Not meeting
those goals has consequences.
“If at the end of the contract
any school has not met its per-
chairman post should be ro
tated among the board mem
bers.
Mr. Brown has served on
the School Board for 14 years,
12 as chairman. He has a repu
tation for flowery speeches, a
point Mr. Crawford noted.
“I will not be as talkative as
Mr. Sam,” he said.
For his part, Mr. Brown said
he was glad to give the post up.
He had a few words of advice
for the incoming chair.
formance goals for at least
three consecutive years of the
contract, the LBOE (Local
Board of Education) will lose
governance of those schools.
The LBOE may decide to a)
convert those schools to char
ter schools, b) transfer gover
nance to a non-profit or
for-profit education organiza
tion, or c) allow a nearby, suc
cessful school district to
assume governance,” states the
website describing IE2. For
more information visit
ww w.gadoe .org/External-Af-
fairs-and-Policy/Policy/
Pages/IE2.aspx
3) A charter school also has
contracts. According to the
“The chairman has no more
authority than anyone else ac
cording to the rules. Reality is,
the board chairman, wherever
you go people look to you as
the leader. People look to you
as the board chairman as the
spokesman,” he said.
As the chair, the person
holding that post must also
reign in his own opinions, es
pecially public, Mr. Brown
said.
state Department of Education,
a charter school has a “higher
degree of accountability for
raising student achievement”
than non charter schools. For
more information visit
www.gadoe .org/External-Af
fair s-and-Policy/Charter-
Schools/Pages/General-Freque
ntly-Asked-Questions.aspx .
A specialist from the De
partment of Education will at
tend Monday’s meeting to
discuss these three choices
with the Board of Education.
At present, the rules regard
ing these three school types are
being changed by the state.
The BOE has a deadline of
June 30 to file a “letter of in
tent” with the state on which
system it will choose.
County Manager Mary
Wynn’s monthly report to the
Commissioners on Dec. 30:
VARMINTS
The County has brought in
a professional trapper to re
move beavers. It’s been a cou
ple of years since a trapper
came in to remove North
America’s largest rodent.
Beavers undermine roads to
As the colder winter months
approach, the Department of
Human Services (DHS) will
once again help Georgians
struggling to keep up with the
cost of heating their homes.
DHS’s Low Income Home En
ergy Assistance Program (LI-
HEAP) funding is being award
to Coastal Plain Area Eco
nomic Opportunity Authority,
Inc. (Coastal Plain) located in
Valdosta, Georgia.
Beginning Tuesday, at 7
AM, Coastal Plain will be of
fering heating assistance to the
all income eligible clients.
Coastal Plain will take the
name and two contact phone
numbers of those interested in
receiving assistance. In most
A beautiful setting, a fine
instrument, a superb musician
promise a memorable evening
at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
in Tifton when virtuoso organ
ist Jonathan Hehn performs a
recital on Friday, January 16 at
7 p.m.. The program continues
the Homer Meade Rankin Me
morial Organ Concert Series at
St. Anne’s. Admission is free.
A native of Thomasville, the
organist is currently serving
Good Shepherd Lutheran
Church in Tampa, Florida. He
dig out dirt to pack into their
dams. They also plug pipes to
stop water from flowing.
In the past few weeks, he
has trapped 37.
The trapper can go onto pri
vate property, with permission
of the landowner, to remove
nuisance beavers. The Com
mission pays a bounty for each
beaver removed.
cases, payments are made di
rectly to the home energy sup
plier for gas, electricity,
propane gas, wood, coal, or
kerosene.
To participate in the pro
gram, the family must meet a
yearly income equal to, or less
than 60% of the State median
income. For a one-person
household, that would be
$21,180; for two people,
$27,697, for three people
$34,214; for four people,
$40,731; for five people,
$47,248; for six people;
$53,765, for seven people,
$54,987; for eight people,
$56,209 (for each additional
person, add $1,222 to annual
income.)
is a brother in the Order of
Saint Luke and holds music
degrees (BM,DM) from
Florida State University and
theology (MSM) from Univer
sity of Notre Dame. He also
holds the Choirmaster Certifi
cate of the American Guild of
Organists and has spent time at
the Universitat Mozarteum in
Salzburg, Austria.
Mr. Hehn is an active
recitalist, appearing both as a
soloist and chamber musician
in Austria and across the
United States. He has won
prizes in both regional and na
tional competitions in organ
performance, and was a finalist
in the Albert Schweitzer Organ
Festival.
As a scholar, the organist
has been the recipient of sev
eral awards and his work is
published by the American
Guild of Organists, Saraban
Music, and the Hymn Society
in the U.S. and Canada. The
Hymn Society awarded him
the Lovelace Scholarship on
three occasions. In addition,
Mr. Hehn was the founder and
longtime director of the Talla-
The past removal effort was
a huge success with a large
number of beavers taken out.
That cut the amount of work,
and expense, the road depart
ment spent repairing damage
the rodents caused.
The net result, of that pro
gram, was a cash and time sav
ings to the County.
COURTHOUSE
The latest courthouse reno
vation work is moving along
well. State inmates are doing
the work. The supervisor said
he expects the work to be done
sometime this spring.
LANDFILL
The now-closed County
landfill gets inspected by state
officials periodically. The most
recent inspection saw some
things which needed to be
done. The Road Department
took care of that.
A second inspection a few
weeks later saw the state in
spector well pleased with the
work.
SHERIFF EXPANSION
Plans to expand the Sher
iff’s Office and move the 911
emergency call center to the
complex are moving forward.
Bids for the project are ex
pected to be released in Febru
ary.
To participate in the pro
gram, the family must bring to
their appointment their most
recent fuel or utility bill, or
statement of service from their
provider, State issued picture
ID (must be current), Social
Security cards and proof of in
come for all household mem
bers. This may be paycheck
stubs, a letter granting public
assistance, Social Security or
unemployment benefits.
Assistance will be offered
on a first-come, first-serve
basis.
For further information,
please contact the Turner
County CSC - 124 E. College
Street, Ashburn - (229) 567-
2844
hassee Music Conference.
Concert goers to the St.
Anne’s recital will enjoy selec
tions from Bach, Liszt and Du-
rafle’ and a special section of
improvisations, based on sug
gestions from the audience.
Mr. Hehn will perform on
the Chambers Memorial
Organ, built by Casavants of
Quebec, Canada, and given to
the church by Merle and Eve
lyn Chambers to honor Jerry
G. Chambers, a cousin who
acted as both brother and father
to the late Homer Rankin, a
revered Tifton businessman
and philanthropist. The concert
is made possible by an endow
ment of the Chambers Family
Fund, through the generosity
of Merle and Evelyn Cham
bers, to provide regular organ
concerts at St. Anne’s by rec
ognized artists.
A reception will follow in
the Church parish hall. St.
Anne’s is located at 2411
North Central Avenue. For in
formation, call 229-382-7505,
or go to www.stanne’stifton.
com.
APPLIANCES & PARTS IN STOCK
Lawn mower & Mower parts
Available here!
>. Western Auto.
354 South Main St. • Tifton, GA
(p) 382-5767 • (f) 382-5758
BROWN’S SEAFOOD
238 E. Washington Ave. • Ashburn
TAKE OUT
PLATES
Call ahead
Rea&y when you get here
Call-in orders welcome
567-2700
11-2 Mon-Tues.; 11-8 Wed.; 11-9 Thur., Fri., Sat.
School options on agenda next week
The School Board will meet at 7p.m. Monday
at the bus shop on the north side of Ashburn.
The meeting is open to the public.
Water damage on the second floor in the courtroom.
Winter heating bill help next week
Organ concert next week at St. Anne’s
