Newspaper Page Text
Saturday
6 p.m. Downtown
Ashburn
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Civic Center
Free admission with a
$5 toy for Toys for Tots
ARMER
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
ASHBURN, GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 49 • 500
www.thewiregrassfarmer.com
^Around Town N
Subscribe to
The Wiregrass
Farmer
Delivered in your
mail every week
Call 567-3655 for
information.
Christmas
parade
Annual Christmas Pa
rade December 12th at
6pm "Rockin' Around the
Christmas Tree". Entry fee
$10. Contact the Chamber
for more information.
Santa letters
Letters to Santa may be
given to The Wiregrass
Farmer for printing in our
Christmas Edition. We’ll
then forward them to the
North Pole in the usual
manner. PO Box 309, Ash-
bum 31714 wiregrass-
farmer@ yahoo .com
School concert
The Turner County
Middle/High Music De
partment will present its
2015 Songs of the Season
Christmas concert on
Thursday, Dec. 10 begin
ning at 7. Admission will
be $5, a toy of equal or
higher value for the Toys
for Tots drive, or, if you so
desire, both. Thank you
for your support of the
Turner County Music De
partment!
Music classes
Music classes for guitar,
bass, dmms and piano are
being held each Saturday
at 6 p.m. at Christ Founda
tion Assembly of God
church in Roger's plaza.
Donations are requested to
help cover expenses.
Birth certificates
Need a certified birth
certificate? If you were
bom in the State of Georgia,
the Turner County Probate
Court may be able to pro
vide you with a certified
copy. For more information
call Probate Court Judge
Penny Thomas at 567-2151.
Obituaries
Beverly Sapp Barlow, 75,
Rebecca
Judy Reed Floyd, 67,
Sycamore
Michael Lee Brown, 50,
Rebecca
Complete obituary
information Page 5
V J
Serving Turner County Since 1902
SLAMMIN!
Tamarrio Terry stuffs two in Saturday night’s basketball
game.
Collapsing pipes
The Welcome to Ashburn (upper right) sign on Highway 41 is just a few feet
from a manhole that’s spilling raw sewage. The pipes below the manhole are
clogged, possibly because the lines collapsed under Highway 41.
Ashburn sewer lines are literally falling apart
Even as the City of Ashburn continues to
struggle with a water well that has yet to
pass any pumping tests, the City is looking
at major problems on the other end of the
water system.
Mayor Sedric
Carithers put it
bluntly.
Ashbum’s sewer
lines are collapsing.
A “sewage spill”
last week at the cor
ner of N. Main and
Shingler Ave. was
less of a spill and
far more of a
blocked pipe somewhere. A manhole at the
intersection was overflowing with raw
sewage.
Mayor Carithers said, last week, the main
line running under N. Main, which is also
US Highway 41, possibly collapsed. It could
be blocked. The manhole and that line drain
wastewater from some of the highest points
in the City of Ashburn.
If the line is collapsed under the road, a
repair could be very expensive. The City will
have to dig up the road, repair or replace the
broken pipe, and then repair the road back to
its current condition.
For sewage to back up and come out of
the manhole there means there are problems
somewhere below that
opening. The city has been
working on the problem
since it was discovered.
That’s just the latest
symptom of a sewer sys
tem that is having real
problems. Some of the
sewer lines across the city
date back to when the lines
were first installed. Repair
crews still find terracotta
(baked clay) lines in places.
These terra cotta lines are easy to break.
Tree roots particularly find it very easy to
grow into the gaps between the pieces and
clog the lines.
FINDING THE MONEY
The City is gradually replacing sewer
lines around town. Community Develop
ment Block Grants (CDBGs) have put new
lines in several neighborhoods. Ashburn has
a solid track record of applying for and re
ceiving these grants. (See SEWER Page 2)
A closeup of the sewage spilling
out of the manhole.
Ashburn in compliance with loan
Ashburn’s auditor Brandon
Montgomery told the City
Council last week the recent
rate hike for the City’s water
and sewer rates is working.
Ashburn has loan agree
ments for the water and sewer
department that require the
City collect a specified amount
of money. The collection
amount is directly linked to the
City’s annual loan payments
As of the end of the last fis
cal year, June 30, 2015, Ash
burn was very slightly
exceeding the loan require
ments, the auditor said.
“You need a [minumum]
coverage ratio (amount col
lected compared to the loan
payment) to stay in good with
the bond company. Last year
you did not even have a cover
age ratio,” that met the mini
mum, Mr. Montgomery said.
The big question, are rates
too high or too low?, remains
to be seen. Mr. Montgomery
said the City needs a full year
with the rate increase in place
to know. With a year's worth of
figures in hand, the Council
can review rates.
Mr. Montgomery said he
thinks the rates are right, but
still needs a year’s worth of in
formation to be sure.
“At that point, we’ll have a
very clear picture as to what
the financial condition of those
finds are. We’ll know if we can
raise or lower,” rates, he said.
The City Council voted to
raise rates a few months ago
because information at the
time said the City was not col
lecting enough to meet its loan
obligations (See sidebar).
Because the City was not
collecting enough money to
meet the loan obligations, the
City’s credit rating dropped to
a B. The new rating is not out,
but Mr. Montgomery said he
expects it to go to an A.
“I am looking forward to
next year,” he said. The deci
sions made “have set you up
very well.”
Mr. Montgomery said the
Council’s decision to raise
rates “was done so late as to be
negligible.” Other decisions
and some lowered expenses in
water, gas, propane and natural
gas departments also helped.
“You made some decisions
and did some things,” he said.
About that loan agreement
Ashburn has loans for the new Eureka water pump and
tank and the wastewater treatment plant. These loans re
quire the City to collect a set percentage of money. The City
must collect a certain amount of money through the Water
and Sewer Departments. That amount is required by the
loan agreements. It is not negotiable.
The 2014 audit showed the City had to raise rates or run
afoul of the loan agreements. The auditor was clear about
that.
If the Council did not raise the rates, the loan agreements
allowed the loan company to come in and raise rates.
During Council discusssion at the time, City Auditor
Brandon Montgomery said the Council should raise rates.
If the loan company raised rates, they could raise it more
than the City Council would.
The City’s loan agreement is standard in the municipal
water system loan world. Cities must agree to collect a cer
tain amount of money or the bond company can adjust the
rates without Council permission.
Meet & Greet
Be our guest at an informal
Meet & Greet
with Dr. Jeffery McDaniel, new
Turner County School Superintendent.
Chamber of Commerce
238 E. College Ave
Ashburn
Thursday
Dec.lO
5-6:30 pm
Dr. Jeffery McDaniel
Turner County School Superintendent
Contact Stevi Thompson at 567-9696 for more information.
McDaniel outlines vision
New School Superintendent Dr. Jeff McDaniel outlined what
he expects to do and what he wants to do during his time as the
head of the Turner County School system.
Dr. McDaniel spoke at length Monday night at the workshop
session of the Board of Education. Among the things he wants
to do are:
• Open board meetings at 6 p.m. for a “caucus” discussion be
fore convening the meetings at 7 p.m. These “caucus” sessions
will be open to the public.
• Begin work immediately on the $11.5 million budget.
• Look at maintenance and transportation to see if there are
any ways to save money there. (See SUPT Page 2)
2176 Hwy 41 South
^QKJNOBK'S
DEER. PROCESSING
Standard Cut $60
229-938-0426 • 229-938-3477
Wed Sunny
Thur Partly Cloudy Fri Partly Cloudy
Sat Mostly Sunny
M Showers
Sun Partly Cloudy
For many of us, clean water is so plentiful and readily available that we rarely, if ever, pause to consider what life would be like without it.
Marcus Samuels son
