Newspaper Page Text
More parade pictures,
inside
Thank you JoAnne!
Page 8
™ Wireorass Farmer
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
ASHBURN,GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 50 • 500
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Call 567-3655
Firefighter class
Ashburn Fire & Emer
gency Services will offer
the Basic Firefighter: Mod
ule One Course as part of its
in-service training program.
The course is a very fast
paced course, which is the
mandated training course
required by Georgia Law to
become a firefighter. The
class will begin on Monday,
January 8, 2018 at 6 PM at
Ashburn Fire & Emergency
Services Station #2 located
at 1070 Bridges Road in
Ashburn. The course is 68
hours in length and will be
held on consecutive Mon
day and Thursday nights.
Therefore, the course will
take approximately 8 weeks
to complete. If you are in
terested in attending the
class please call 567-4952
to register. There is no
charge for this class and
after successful completion
participants may pursue a
career in the Fire Service.
Tree festival
The Festival of Christ
mas Trees at 400 Highway
32 Sycamore is open. We
are a non profit that every
year raises money food and
toys for families in need
here in Turner county. We
have a bam full of over 100
decorated trees, Santa
Clause, for pit for roasting
marshmallows ect. You can
read more about us on our
Facebook page Festival of
Christmas Trees.
Animal control
Anyone who needs the
Ashburn Animal Control
department should call 567-
0313. All calls routed
through the dispatch center.
This applies to Ashburn res
idents as well.
Serving Turner County Since 1902
BEST IN SHOW
Turner County Elementary School won Best in Show at the annual Christmas parade over the weekend.
Split decisions mean no fire chief
Vote splits 3-2 both times
Council planned to discuss the head requires four votes.
Ashburn still does not have
a permanent fire chief.
Jamie Turner, who has
served as interim chief for a
while now will continue in that
position for the foreseeable fu
ture.
The City Council held a
called meeting, and immedi
ately went into closed session,
on Monday morning. The
fire chief position behind
closed doors.
Last week the City Council
held two votes for hiring a fire
chief. Neither vote received the
4 votes needed to hire a depart
ment head. Under the City
Charter, hiring a department
Mayor Sandra Lumpkin
opened discussion saying the
candidate for chief was Mr.
Turner. City Manager Sedric
Carithers corrected her, re
minding the Council that two
names were brought forward
from the November Council
meeting. Mr. Turner and
Adrian Hairston, a firefighter
from the metro Atlanta area,
were put forth as the two can
didates. Mr. Carithers also re
minded the Council it takes
four votes to hire a department
head.
Motion Howard Jordan/
James Burks to hire Mr.
(See CHIEF Page 8)
Raise
OK’d
On a 3-2 vote, the Ashburn
City Council approved a raise
for itself.
Voting Yes: Cebo Bateman,
Howard Jordan, James Burks.
Voting No: Rhonda Walker,
Andrea Pierce. Motions
Burks/Jordan.
Councilmember Walker
voted yes when the raise was
put on first reading last month.
Mayor Sandra Lumpkin did
not vote as her vote was not
needed to break a tie to make a
majority in the vote.
The raise takes effect after
the next election.
The raise puts the City
Council to the second-highest
paid Council in Georgia for
cities of similar size. The raise,
a total of $60,000 a year, is also
more than a mil of taxes.
THE DISCUSSION
“I had numerous calls and
visits from people opposed to
this raise. We are elected to
serve, not be self-serving,” she
said. “We are elected to be
good stewards of the tax dol
lars. We don't know how badly
we may need these funds. I op
pose this.”
Councilman Bateman asked
if another vote could cancel the
(See RAISE Page 8)
BURNED OUT SHELL GONE
On Monday, Ashburn City employees knocked down and
hauled off the last of the burned-out shell of a building next
to City Hall. The City paid $22,500 for the property which
reaches to the buildings in the back. City Manager Sedric
Carithers said the property will be used for parking. The City
may also consider selling it if someone wants to buy the lot.
High School next remodeling & renovation target for BOE
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
Helen Sego Posey, 84, Ash
burn
Lester Roy Pitts, Jr., 67,
Sycamore
Complete obituary
information Page 5 .
The Turner County High
School is the next campus for
remodeling and renovation
work said Mike Simmons, the
school system physical plant
administrator.
The high school work will
begin in the new budget year
that begins July 1.
Mr. Simmons presented a 5-
year building improvement
plan to the Board of Education
at the workshop meeting last
week. The 5-year plan is re
quired by the state Department
of Education. It is a guideline
for work, not a required or a
mandated list of projects.
The High School work was
part of the discussion.
No financial amount was
mentioned during the discus
sion.
School systems in Georgia
“earn” money from the state
for building work. The money
comes in two parts, renovation
and modification.
Mr. Simmons said the work
will also tap the school’s Spe
cial Purpose Sales Tax rev
enue.
Discussion also included
work recently completed.
Among those are:
• New duct work in the
Civic Center gym.
• Repainting the gym floor.
• A refurbished roof at the
elementary school.
• Painting part of the front
of the High School.
• Middle school campus
work.
In related matters:
• Part of the middle school
was repainted at no charge.
Exactly why the original
coat of paint didn’t stick is not
known.
“They repainted and there
was a hole in the wall the very
next day,” Mr. Simmons said.
“They are going to have to take
care of it.”
The board did not believe
that “wear and tear” by stu
dents could peel the paint in
the affected area in just a few
months.
“It is a deeper problem on
PreK (that part of the building)
than wear & tear,” said Super
intendent Jeff McDaniel.
Regardless, the affected
area was repainted at no cost to
the school system.
“They thought it was some
thing to do with the paint.
Pittsburgh Paints, (the com
pany providing the paint) came
up and made it right. They
owned up to their product,”
said Board Chairman Phillip
Crawford.
• A financial department
server was replaced. Dr. Mc
Daniel said it was very old.
The state ordered such servers
be replaced by July 1.
8
66670
00023 4
500 - tax included
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One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are. Cal Thomas