Newspaper Page Text
Middle school moving?
Maybe so. Page 10
^ Wire
Restaurant inspections
Page 3
Farm
Wednesday, January 4,2017
ASHBURN,GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 1 • 500
www.thewiregrassfarmer.com
^Around Town ^
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Call 567-3655
Schools Open
House
Turner County Elemen
tary School Parent Confer
ence Day will be Jan 3rd
from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m.
Turner County Schools
will have Open House Jan
5th from 4-6 p.m.
Rec ball
Basketball signups for
ages 4-14 boys and girls.
Free signups at Rec. Dept.
January 4th-13th Mon-Fri
9:30-11:30, 2:00-6:00. All
signups are at Rec. Dept.
Any questions call Chuck
Martenn, 229-567-1543.
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.
Welcome kits
If you are new to Turner
County please be sure to
stop by the Ashbum-Tumer
County Chamber of Com
merce to pick up your New
Resident Welcome Kit. The
kit is filled with promo
tional material, advertise
ments, and coupons
provided by Chamber
Members, along with a map
and directory. We are lo
cated at 238 E College Ave.
and look forward to wel
coming you to Turner
County!
Animal control
Anyone who needs the
Ashburn Animal Control
department should call 567-
0313. All calls routed
through the dispatch center.
This applies to Ashbum res
idents as well.
Obituaries
Melba Holley, 78, Ashburn
Nadine Willis Haywood,
88, Sylvester
Betty Davison Wiggins, 88,
Tallahassee, FF
Complete obituary
information Page 8
County taking over Rebecca FD
The Turner County Fire Department
is probably taking over the Rebecca
Fire Department.
To be official, the County Commis
sion and the Rebecca City Council
must vote to approve an agreement al
lowing the takeover.
Rebecca Mayor Mike Hasty brought
the idea to the County Commissioners
at the workshop session last week. The
Commissioners were agreeable, pro
vided the Rebecca Council approved
the idea.
Mayor Hasty said, as of last week,
the Council had not voted, but the gen
eral consensus supported the idea.
The County could “operate that as a
substation from Ashburn. It will pro
vide greater safety and protection of
property and personal injury for the
people,” the mayor said. He also said
Rebecca was planning to pay $6,000 to
the County to “help offset any costs as
sociated with this.”
THE PROPOSAL
Commissioners several times asked
if Mr. Hasty was proposing the County
take over the fire department. Each time
he said yes.
“We will be involved in that we will
keep ownership of the equipment and
the building,” the mayor said. “We pro
posed to turn it over to Mark (Chief
Mark Robinson) completely.”
Commissioner Sam McCard said he
liked the idea of the City continuing to
own the equipment. He said that could
make ending the agreement easier if
that ever needs to be done.
Mayor Hasty said the City is looking
at hiring a part-time person to at least
crank the trucks regularly and make
sure the equipment is in order and some
other things.
“We’re going to start chasing grants
in a pretty energetic manner,” he said.
Commissioner Daryl Hall asked if
Rebecca would still hire a part-time
firefighter if the County takes over.
The mayor said he was not sure. He
added the City might be able to hire
someone part- (See FD Page 2)
Storm pounds us
Power lines were still
down Tuesday morning
just north of Ashburn
(left). Trees took out the
lines and reached
across the railroad
tracks to the road.
Below, a tree lays across
a roof of a home on W.
Madison Ave in Ashburn.
It was one of two homes
on W. Madison with a
tree that hit the roof.
Monday night’s storm pounded
the Southeast and Turner County.
Damage was heaviest on the
north end of the county.
Trees were down. Power lines
were taken down by falling trees.
A chicken house and half another
was destroyed. A home on 159
had a tree across it. A home on
King Burgess Circle was also
damaged.
“We had several corners of
houses hit,” said County Fire
Chief Mark Robinson.
Chief Robinson was waiting
on a word from the National
Weather Service about the storm
and a possible tornado.
Straight line wind or tornado,
the winds hit the north end of the
county hardest. Chief Robinson
said the line of damage begins at
the Worth County line and goes to
the Ben Hill-Wilcox Counties line
on the east side.
Damage was light in Ashburn
with two homes on W. Madison
being hit by falling trees.
(See STORM Page 10)
Airport expansion continues; $600K fence part of work
Over budget and long past
due, the expanded Turner
County Airport is still not offi
cially open. It is being used
and the new runway has lights.
The latest issue is $600K
worth of fence. The entire air-
Continued from last week
May
Week 4
Awards were handed out at
the annual employee apprecia
tion dinner given by Turner
County EMS. Stacy Selph re
ceived the Paramedic of the
Year and Jane Peavy was
named EMT of the Year.
Mylashia Yancey #15 jersey
is retired. The school will keep
a jersey and Mylashia will
keep one.
Colony Bank gives scholar
ships to Daniel Dean and
Cameron Barbee.
The reading program at the
library kicked off this week.
June
Week 1
American Fegion Post 98
hosted a Memorial Day obser
vance Monday morning at the
Elrod Park.
In Rebecca Mike Hasty won
in the special election for
Mayor defeating Don Collins
who resigned the post. Gary
Walker won in the City Coun
cil special election. In Ashbum
port needs to be behind fenc
ing.
County Commissioner Sam
McCard said part of that work
also means closing off the cur
rent entrance and putting the
new entrance next to the old
Phillip Crawford won as chal
lenger Erik Soliday dropped
out due to job restraints. Voter
Ag Building on County Farm
Road. A terminal will also be
put in.
The County also bought
some additional property, as
recommended by various offi
cials who are guiding the air-
turnout was very low, only 17
percent of the eligible voters.
Reach scholars are an
nounced Tyler Dorminey, Dyk-
eriah Jackson, Ivan Zapote
The Summer Reading pro
port expansion. Fooking to the
eventual opening, Commis
sioner McCard said the County
is looking for someone to pro
vide fueling services at the air
port.
“We don’t want to be in that
gram kicked off this week at
the library.
Week 2
New sidewalks and a park
for Ashbum are underway.
This round of sidewalks is
along E. Washington Ave. from
Highway 41 to Johnson Street
(where City Hall ends). Both
sides of the road will be done.
School taxes will remain the
same in the proposed Board of
Education budget discussed
Monday night. BOE taxes are
16 mils.
Changes at the school sys
tem, including the departure of
one teacher and a shift in how
Southern Regional Tech han
dles teachers, means the school
system has money for an extra
position at the high school. Su
perintendent Jeff McDaniel
want that teacher post to be art.
Turner County had not had an
art teacher in some time.
Week 3
The County Commission is
thinking about changing the
current zoning code for homes
in agriculture zoned lands from
5 acre lots to 3 acre. They held
a meeting to discuss the issue.
A possible new doctor's
(See YEAR Page 2)
business,” he said.
The County received sev
eral million in grant money to
expand the airport. The expan
sion was recommended to
allow larger planes to use the
airport.
Ashburn
Council
Rhonda Walker will take the
oath of office for the first time
at the Ashburn City Council
meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Ms. Walker took enough
votes to claim a seat on the
Council in the November elec
tion. Cebo Bateman and
Howard Jordan won re-elec
tion and will also be sworn into
office by Probate Judge Penny
Thomas.
In other business:
• The City’s CPA will pres
ent the annual audit report. The
Council is expecting another
good report from the firm.
• City Manager Sedric
Carithers will update the
Council on various projects in
the City.
• Reappointments: Munici
pal Court Judge Ray Holland;
Municipal Court Prosecutor
Flynn Coleman; Municipal
Court Indigent Defense Attor
ney John Sherrar; City Attor
ney Tommy Coleman.
(See CITY Page 2)
Dr. Ajay Gehlot speaks to a crowd in mid-June about
a possible new doctor’s clinic in Ashburn. An announce
ment is expected sometime in January.
8
66670
00023 4
500 - tax included
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Just got back from a pleasure trip: I took my mother-in-law to the airport.
Henny Youngman
