About The Georgia post. (Knoxville, Crawford County, Ga.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2013)
10 THE GEORGIA POST THURSDAY OCTOBER 24, 2013 Letters To The Editor Senior Center contact: appreciative Dear Editor, and Friends, We at the Crawford Senior Center want to let you know how grateful we are for your continued support. The seniors (and the staff) always enjoy the monthly luncheon provided by Kiwanis Club and the bingo prizes brought were a wonderful treat. Our seniors love their bingo! With recent budget cuts by the government, the seniors at the center aren’t able to take monthly field trips so your compassion and involvement are very much appreciated. Again, thank you for caring. Wendy Sears Site Manager Crawford County Se nior Center Sonny Gilbert WB4NKU Emergency Coordina tor Crawford County at email: WB4NKU@ATT. NET. Supporting New SPLOST Amateur Radio group participates in test Editor, The Georgia Post: The Crawford County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Group along with the Crawford County EMA, participated in a Nationwide Simulated Emergency Test of Communication available to Amateur Radio Opera tors. We sent messages on high frequencies, VHF, UHF and digital. Some sent morse code, and even slow scan T messages and pictures. This SET is held once every year to test our equipment in the event of disasters when all other communication fail. Even cell phone towers can and do fail during storms. We can even link our radios to our computers and send e-mails over the air using our digital communication ability. The motto of Amateur Ra dio Emergency Service 15” when all else fails”. If you are interested in Amateur Radio and would like to know more you can Editor, The Georgia Post: On November 5th, 2013, the citizens of Crawford County will be asked to vote on a 1% sales tax referen dum. This tax is known as a Special Purpose Local Op tion Sales Tax (SPLOST) and will be used to fund capital outlay projects and retire debt. This penny sales tax spreads the cost of funding projects and debt reduction to all citizens and visitors of the community, regardless of whether or not the person lives in the county. Our county officials have proposed refinancing and retiring a portion of the $5.4 million existing water debts. If the referendum is passed, landowners will see the elimination of the hydrant fee by January of 2016, interest payments in the current water loans will be reduced by $2.1 million, and the county water enterprise will become self sufficient. The Board of Commission ers will also allocate part of the SPLOST funds for public safety equipment, road improvement projects and recreation. Additionally, the City of Ro berta will receive 14% of the proposed SPLOST. It will use those funds to improve the city’s water and waste- water systems and for public safety and equipment. Some may argue this is a tax increase. It is not. Craw ford County’s sales tax will remain at its current level. The referendum will extend the current 1% SPLOST for an additional six years. Some may question the necessity of an extension of the sales tax. Without the SPLOST, there would be a signifcant increase in prop erty taxes and/or substantial AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE AM AVIATION IN*Tl Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance Technician training. Financial aid for qualified students - Flousing available. Job placement assistance. 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The SPLOST offsets property taxes and helps keep those taxes stable. The Crawford County Board of Commissioners has not increased property taxes in five years and the SPLOST has been and continues to be a major reason why. Help our community con tinue to improve by reducing debt, maintaining a stable tax digest and creating funds necessary for capital outlay projects such as roads and equipment. Please vote YES for SPLOST on November 5th. Greg Blasingame Chris Corbin Blaine Harrell Craig Puckett Trey Seagraves Brandan Spillers Shannon West Disappointed but thankful Editor, The Georgia Post: Thank you for the opportu nity to express my views and ideas in the questionnaire The Georgia Post provided readership and those who will vote in the upcoming mayoral election. I am disappointed that Mayor Smith did not take that opportunity to answer the questions posted as I believe it would have been informative and given voters a clearer distinction between my views and that of Mayor Smith. I believe everyone, including City workers without fear of reprisals, must have an opportunity to observe the candidates and be in a position to make informed judgments and decisions about whom they wish to vote. Sherry Thompson BOE had its mind made up Editor, The Georgia Post: I did not attend any of the School Board meetings for the rate increase. It was obvious all board members had already made up their minds. Crawford County has one of the lowest graduation rates in Georgia, (under 60% according to the Georgia DOE website), and our board members just keep throwing away money at the problems and hope they go away. I have heard that many people did go to the meeting and gave suggestions on how to save money. Were any of these ideas implemented? Did the board members even listen? It seems that every time the county commis sioners bust their butts to keep taxes down, the School Board takes it as a chance to raise theirs. School Board elections will be here again before you know it and I do not plan on letting voters forget how easily their taxes are raised and how quickly their voices are forgotten. It is time for new leader ship in our school system. Joe Staffa Crawford getting new emergency sirens BY TAMIWALBERG The Georgia Post Crawford County will be getting two new emergency sirens. Georgia Emer gency Management Agency through the Emergency Management Performance Grant Response and Re covery award program has awarded Crawford County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) a $30,000 grant, Jake Watson, EMA Director, announced to the board of commissioners last week. The county will have to cover the expenses up front but on completion of the installation and submission of all the paperwork the grant funds will be issued. The approximate expense is $20,000 per siren, which includes the pole, siren, and installation. The poles will be placed on the right of ways at the Jackson/Hort- man Mills Road and Carl Sutton/Hamlin Road inter sections. The sirens have a range of 6200 ft. and are 70 decibels. The sirens aren’t meant to be heard in homes but to alert people outside so they can get to a safe place before a tornado hits. There are currently six sirens in place in Crawford County and Watson said that at least 27 are needed to cover most of the county. The EMA says they have a long-term goal of installing several new sirens every year. They will be posting for bids in the weeks to come. The county is required to make a $10,000 match which is in the FY 2014 budget. Sterling Braswell was appointed to the Crawford County Board of Asses sors. Braswell is a native of Crawford County and a land and business owner. He has also volunteered before for the Crawford County De velopment Authority and as an auxiliary police officer in Inkster, MI. He would like to learn more about property taxes in Crawford County and ensure that homeown ers are taxed fairly. He will be sent to a five day training seminar by the county. County Commissioner Paul Chapman had request ed that the appointment be tabled because he did not know enough about the ap plicants in order to make a good decision. However, the motion failed 2-3. Commissioner Frank Hollis made the motion to appoint Braswell and it was unanimous. The board went into a closed executive session to discuss pending litigation. From top of the press box This past week I was in my nest getting packed for my annual trip to warmer weath er when I noticed the door to the field house open. I flew down to take a look at what was inside. The first thing that I saw was a wall with players from the past that have gone on to college to play foot ball. I also noticed a couple of players that were visiting and going through memo ries. One of them had his son with him who also played four years. I wish I had visited this wall long ago. With homecoming this week maybe a few of these players will return for the night. As I was leaving I saw twenty nine young men who were on the practice field going through plays and running their hearts out as a couple of them got corrected on their play responsibili ties. You would never think that these players had not won a game in the last forty attempts. Never would I give you a reason that they are not winning. I hear enough of that as I am hovering over the fence above the field. Did you know that player should have run left through that hole when the play called was to run to the right or why did our young player of 140 pounds not just run over that opposing player that weighed 320? They know more than our coaches because they watch it on TV. Remember you said that if we could just get a new coach everything would change around. Well you did and it is still the same. How many of you have talked to the coach in person and asked him what the problem was? At the same time how many of you volunteered to help with what he wanted for the team. Are there problems on the field, in the locker room, in the stands or on the fence? Is there a booster club that can help with the team? We don’t have the answers as the Monday morning quar terbacks don’t speak loud enough as the people that can do something will hear them. In the past on the last Thursday in January there used to be a banquet to recognize the players. As I flew over the cafe on the way home I noticed this past year that the lights were not on. Is that the way to treat a group of young men that stayed with a program and played to the best of their ability? I know my answer, what is yours? Maybe you and I and a few more could do some thing to help this program. No, I don’t have the answers, do you? There is word on the street that the program next year will revert to what is was over 30 years ago and drop region play so we can play smaller on a different level. Could we win games that way? Is that the answer? Talk to the players and ask them. Non region would not give them access to post season competition or review by college coaches. Let’s all work together to correct the situation. That is my opinion. What is yours? Lizella resident begins residency in Pediatrics Trang Bui, of Lizella, Ga., is serving in Pediat rics at the University of Florida College of Medicine - Shands Hospital after graduating from Mercer University’s School of Medi cine this past spring. This year, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) enrolled 4,621 pro grams in the Match, which offered 29,171 positions and had a total of 40,335 ap plicants. The Mercer University School of Medicine Class of 2013 achieved a too per cent match rate. Nationally, only one quarter of medi cal students were matched to frontline care residen cies, while, in contrast, 61 percent of Mercer graduates were matched in primary care, many in Georgia. Humane Society offering reward in break-in at Macon Animal Shelter WELDING CAREERS Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid for qualified students - Housing available. Job placement assistance. CALL AIM 877-205-2968 The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the iden tification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for breaking in to “All About Animals” rescue in Macon, Ga., and leaving three dogs killed and 15 injured. The HSUS is also providing a $2,500 Shelters in Crisis grant to assist with repairs, veterinary care, enhanced security and other recovery efforts. The Case: Shelter staff and local Crimestoppers give the following account: Volunteers with “All About Animals” re ported arriving to the shelter Thursday, Oct. 17, and finding several cages open and multiple dogs with bite marks and lacerations. Some of the dogs appeared to have wounds that were not caused by other animals, including a female pit bull with an apparent stab wound. According to shelter staff, her injuries left her fighting for her life. Animal Cruelty: Getting the serious attention of law en forcement, prosecutors and the community in cases involv ing allegations of cruelty to animals is an essential step in protecting the community. The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented. Studies show a correlation between animal cruelty and all manner of other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to bat tery and sexual assault. Inga Fricke, director of shelter and rescue group services for The Humane Society of the United States, said: “Shelter ing facilities should be safe havens for homeless animals, and it is inexcusable for someone to break in and put ani mals’ lives at risk, or worse, physically attack them. We hope that this reward will bring forward anyone with information about this disturbing crime and that our grant will help All About Animals continue their lifesaving work.” The Investigators: Macon Police Department is investigat ing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 1-877-68-CRIME. Keep up with your community. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
