The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current, January 31, 2024, Image 1

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The wiregrass farmer., January 31, 2024, Image 1

About The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2024)

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Newspaper Page TextMore awards and photos inside New football coach announced, inside ^WIBEORASS F IMER Wednesday, January 31,2024 ASHBURN,GA, 31714 VOL 109 - No. 5 • 750 www.thewiregrassfarmer.com ^Around Town' Subscribe to The Wiregrass Farmer Delivered in your mail every week Call 567-3655 Kiwanis Butt fundraiser The Turner Co. Kiwanis Club is selling Boston Butts. $40. Pickup is Feb. 9th from 3-6 at TGP Event Center (be hind Keith A Que). You can purchase tickets from any Ki wanis member, the Chamber or The Wiregrass Farmer. Meetings County Commission, last and 1st Tuesday of the month. Ashburn Council, 1st Thursday of the month. Sycamore Council, 2nd Thursday of the month. School Board, 1st and 2nd Monday of the month. All meetings are at 6 p.m. Teddy bears The Kiwanis Club is col lecting teddy bears for public safety to give to children. The bears are to help frightened kids. New bears may be dropped off at The Wiregrass. HOMETOWN NEWS SINCE 1902 Sheriff Andy Hester (r) and Brian Richey. Community service award Diane Saylor received the Community Service award at the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet held last week. Ms. Saylor was quite surprised. “You’re going to hear Cricket (her daughter) scream ing when I get done beating her over this,” she said. She also thanked those who help her with everything she does. “I could do none of this without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” she said. She then thanked her husband and several other people. The speech was presented by Colby Giddens of Preferred Heating & Cooling. Going above and beyond is the very definition of service. Some people do it because it is their job. They may love it, but they get paid to do it nonethe less. Some people do it from sheer love. They do it even when it costs money from their own pocket. They do it even when it takes time away from family. They do it because they see a need, and they step up to fill that need. Every community has a heart. These are the people who keep that heart beating. This award salutes a person who has gone above and be- (See SAYLOR Page 2) Citizen of Year TCDA projects aim to build a better community It gets little publicity, on purpose, but the Turner County Development Authority (TCDA) is working to build a better Turner County. “We will all work together to make Turner County a better place to live, a better place to grow up and a better place for our families,” said Brad Chris tian, speaking for the TCDA. C&C GRANT The pitch for the college and career academy program grant for Turner County fell short earlier this year, but the work continues. Mr. Christian said the C&C committee learned a lot and is headed back next year with a new game plan. The C&C is a new idea that will bring more hands-on train ing to students and the commu nity at the new high school complex being built now. The TCDA already invested into the C&C and continues to sup port that program. Mr. Chris tian was chair of one of the 2 C&C committees. At the Chamber banquet, Mr. Christian briefed the com munity on other TCDA pro grams aimed at building a bet ter Turner County. MATCHING GRANTS The TCDA has handed out $31,000 in matching grant money to business owners in 2023. To get this money, the business must spend money to renovate the inside, outside or both in existing retail business buildings in the business dis tricts. Over the past 3 years, that $3 IK saw property owners spent $200,000, Mr. Christian said. STEVE & SONS A door manufacturer, Steve & Sons, is still coming to Turner County with a new manufacturing plant. An opending date was never for mally announced. The com pany is setting up in the old Industrial Park. Sheriff Andy Hester is the Citizen of the Year for Turner County. This award is given by pre vious winners of this award. The Chamber of Commerce provides a forum for the award to be presented. “I knew something was up when all my people showed up. Thank you,” he said. “Thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give back to the community.” The speech was presented by Brian Richey of Hat Creek Restoration. Tonight, we come together to celebrate the Citizen of the Year, as chosen by a committee of people who have won Citi- (See CITIZEN Page 2) Diane Saylor (c) others l-r Alan Saylor, Jupiter Jones, Cricket Posey, Bethany Posey, Anthoinett Posey, Chandler Posey and Jim Posey. See the Chamber Banquet, the speeches and those who received awards on YouTube @TheWiregrassFarmer Stray dogs Ashburn residents are re minded that pets must have a collar and current rabies tag. Animals without tags will be collected by Animal Control. A copy of the City's animal ordinance is available at City Hall and the Police Depart ment. Animal control number is 567-0313. Separate debris If you pile leaves and limbs at curbside, please sep arate limbs from the leaves and pine straw. The City's street vac can pick up the leaves and straw. The boom truck can pick up limbs. Obituaries Lance Blane Landis, 62, Ashburn Peggy S. Peavy, 90, Cordele Judy Ann Weldon, 72, Cordele Larry Stafford Geogha- gan, 70, Cordele Sherry Ann Stewart, 57, Tifton Helen C. Williford, 92, Blairsville Complete obituary information Page 5 ATTENDANCE CHAMPION As a part of the TCES attendance program, a bicycle is being awarded to one lucky student each 9-week pe riod. The names of all of the students who had great at tendance for the 2nd Nine Weeks were entered into a drawing. 1st grader Heaven Lamb in Mrs. Johnson’s homeroom won! Congratulations Heaven! Council rejects bids for pond dredging The Sycamore Council rejected both bids for work on the City's set tling pond at the waste- water treatment plant during a meeting earlier this month. The City got 2 bids. A Louisiana company bid $1.3 million for the work and an In diana company at $2.6 million. The City's engineering firm, Carter and Sloop, recom mended rejecting both bids. The company said it would reach out to some Georgia companies in hopes of getting a lower bid. With $477K in a grant for dredg ing the settling pond, both bids exceed what the City has avail able for the work. That said, dredging is be coming ever more critical. The sludge is now less than a foot from the surface in some places. The Council also briefly discussed trying to find more grant money. Councilman Jim Galt- Brown asked if the City would get lower bids on a rebid proj ect. Both bids' biggest line item is drying the sludge and haul ing it off. Shawn Dupree said the two methods are to bag it and let it dry, which takes months or use a press to drive out the water. That takes a few moments and the dried sludge is then dumped in a truck to haul it to a landfill. The City could haul the dried material to a landfill, but that would be a very minor savings, Mr. Dupree said. The City has discussed the need to dredge the pond for years. Bids were $1.3 and $2.6 million Poster and essay contest for students The Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), a local agency dedicated to the conservation and stew ardship of the area’s natural resources, is now accepting entries for their Poster Contest and Essay Contest for students located within the District’s service area. Turner County is in the service area. The annual Poster Contest provides public, private and homeschooled students in 2nd and 3rd grades the chance to have their art selected to ad vance on to the state contest. The annual Essay Contest pro vides public, private and homeschooled students in 12th grade the chance to let their writing creativity skills shine. Each year, the posters and es says topic reflect National As sociation of Conservation Districts’s annual Stewardship theme and highlight the work of Conservation Districts to protect and enhance natural re sources. This year’s theme “May the Forest be with you, Always” focuses on forestry. More information can be found on the theme at the National Association of Conservation Districts website (nacdnet.org). The deadline to enter both con tests is March 18,2024. The Conservation District- directs natural resource man agement programs. 8 66670 00023 750 - tax included Wed Mostly Sunny Breezy fjl Weather for Turner Co Partly Cloudy Fri Partly Cloudy Sat Mostly Sunny © 67 44 © Q Sun Cloudy Showers ,->v © rrrrr 59 40 '60% Q This space available. Your ad runs 4 or more weeks. Get your business noticed! Call 567-3655 No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be in cluded from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline. - Kofi Annan