Newspaper Page Text
Unofficial
Crawford contested elec
tion results for local races.
Official results should be
released Friday.
US House Dist. 2
Vivian Childs -801
Election Results
without provisional and military
Don Cole - 780
Sanford Bishop - 879
District Attorney
Anita Howard - 763
David Cooke - 215
County Commission
District 2
Bobby Blasingame - 322
Jackie McCowen - 255
Board of Education
District 2
Brad Cody - 327
Al Hatcher - 334
Board of Education
District 3
Tim Johnson - 270
Anita Walker - 237
Issue 24 Thursday, June 11,2020
The Voice of Crawford County Since 1921
also serving Byron and Peach County
1 Section 12 Pages One Dollar
City joins in to
purchase new
radio tower
BY KRISTI WATKINS
The Georgia Post
Roberta City Council ap
proved joining with Crawford
County government and
Crawford County Schools on
building a new radio tower to
cover police, sheriff, fire and
school board radios.
The radios currently used
utilize the old Sheets radio
tower and with the tower in
such disrepair, the Sheets
tower is to be torn down.
The city currently utilizes the
county radio tower for dis
patch per their agreement.
Mayor Jay Andrews ad
vised council of the options
for the city with the city
agreeing to partner with
the county government
and school board on build
ing a new tower instead of
renting from Public Service
Telephone at approximately
$2,000 a month. The total
cost for building the new tow
er would be $80,873 with the
city’s portion at $20,218.25
which is V4 of the total cost
and would be due within two
weeks of approval.
The annual sinking fund
contributions of $2,000
would begin on January
15, 2021 with those annual
contributions made each
year thereafter or until the
tower is no long in service.
The parties agree that if
any third-party commercial
company would use the tow
er, the fee would be shared
among the partners and
would go toward the annual
sinking fund. Once the fund
is paid for that year, the part
ners would only then receive
a profit.
According to the letter
emailed from county attor
ney Joel Sherlock, this is all
contingent on obtaining an
extension from the current
tower owner for removal of
the existing equipment in
order to provide time to com
plete building the new tower.
Other items discussed:
• The city approved Jer
sey Wings to receive a beer
license.
• Approved getting an en
ergy audit done to see if they
can save money on lighting
bills. This will not cost the
city.
• The city will begin install
ing new water lines along
East Agency in July.
Mural project dedicated to Dr. Bassett
Flint Energies and the Flint Energies Rural Mural Program has made it possible for Chris
Johnson to create an awesome eye catcher in downtown Roberta. The mural is a dream
come true of Keep Roberfa/Crawford Beautiful and the late Dr. Billy Bassett. Sincere thanks
go to Mayor Jay Andrews and his lovely wife, Pam, who allowed KRCB to have the mural
painted on C&H Pipeline’s wall. This location is the perfect spot for all local and visiting peo
ple to enjoy. What a tribute to our Community Pride. Dr. Bassett was an educator and artist
himself and always dreamed of a mural in downtown Roberta. If you would like to make a
donation in memory of Dr. Billy Bassett to help KRCB complete the mural, please mail your
gift to KRCB, P0 Box 417, Roberta 31078. What better way to honor his memory than seeing
his dream come true, especially painted by a graduate of Crawford County High School.
Please tune into the Georgia Farm Monitor to see Roberta and this great mural highlighted.
The show comes on WMAZ13, GPB, and WMUB 38 in Middle Georgia. Also the story of the
mural is featured on National Rural Electric Coop Association’s news article. How exciting our
county is featured nationally! The project was funded through Flint and local matching funds.
Youth services program for community
BY VICTORIA SIMMONS
The Georgia Post
A little known program has been
around for a while but has gone
through changes over the years
and now is in a new partnership for
youth services.
Eventual Success, LLC has part
nered with Middle Georgia Consor
tium to provide services to youth
ages 16 to 24 for Baldwin, Crawford,
Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pu
laski, Putnam, Twiggs and Wilkin
son counties.
The program is seeking students
who may be having problems
completing requirements for a high
school diploma or for whatever
reason, cannot finish high school or
maybe just need additional atten
tion to get on track to complete high
school diploma requirements. Or
if you know of youth who did not
finish high school, would like to get
a GED, or have one or the other but
need to obtain skills to start a career,
then they need to know about this
program. The program even helps
youth improve their current sit
uation by getting them to attend
technical school or college.
Participants in the program in
cludes:
• tutoring/study skills
• secondary instruction
• work experience
• occupational skills training
• leadership development
•workforce preparation/training
• support services
•adult mentoring
• follow-up services
• comprehensive guidance and
counseling
• financial literacy
• entrepreneurial skills
• career readiness
• post-secondary transitional and
support services.
The goal of this program is to equip
clients with the knowledge and
skillset needed to succeed in a highly
competitive workforce.
Not only are they seeking students
between 16 and 24 years of age but
also employers to serve as work
sites.
Students who participate are pared
with a worksite to learn skills and
prepare for future employment.
Some times the work sites end up
offering the student a full time
position. Students are paid through
the Middle Georgia Consortium
and must submit paperwork on
hours worked which is signed by the
worksite supervisor.
Organizations must complete an
application which is available at The
Georgia Post or by requesting one
from Dr. Ulrica Jones who is the
Owner/President of Eventual Suc
cess, LLC. through Middle Georgia
Consortium. Eventual Success, LLC
began in 2005 and Dr. Jones has
over 25 years of experience creat
ing positive learning environments
accomplished by focusing on iden
tifying issues and opportunities for
improvement.
You can contact Dr. Jones by
calling 1-800-225-3585 or email at
drulrica@gmail.com.
Dr. Jones believes, “Knowledge is
Power only when you “use it” then
“share it.
Solar
project
ahead of
schedule
BY KATELYN JENNINGS
The Georgia Post
The Crawford County De
velopment Authority advised
at their meeting last Thurs
day that Bradbury Logistics
submitted a $9,000 check
to repay a part of their debt
owed to the county. This
money was deposited into
one of the county’s Revolving
Loan Accounts. This does
not clear up the total debt.
Kruger Energy Crawford
Solar project is ahead of
schedule, and everyone has
signed off to move forward
with the development. How
ever, the construction is not
expected to start until 2021.
This new Solar farm will be
located on approximately
1,600 acres east of Causey
Road and south of Carl
Sutton Road. There will be
approximately 500,000 pho
tovoltaic solar modules. The
project is estimated to take
20-24 months to construct,
and require a $200 million
capital investment. Crawford
County and the Crawford
County school district is
expected to receive around
$18 million in new property
tax revenues from the Solar
panels.
The Development Authority
also discussed repairs that
are needed to the Olin Ware
house in the industrial park.
The board members ap
proved moving forward with
paying $2,800 for the re
pairs to three of the awnings
on the building. There is an
amount of $2,289 approved
to have the metal welded
on the loading dock. At this
time, there are other repairs
needed, such as, the roof is
leaking and the driveway has
potholes that need fixed. The
board is still in the process of
getting quotes for these to be
completed.
A closed executive session
was held to discuss person
nel!.
Addiction center approved; T-SPLOST to go forward this year
BY VICTORIA SIMMONS
The Georgia Post
With several planning and
zoning items, Crawford
County’s meeting was longer
than usual last week but lots
of business and discussion
transpired.
First up was a dog com
plaint from Donald Small
wood. He expressed concern
about lack of animal control
and response to calls about
dogs running loose not being
taken seriously. He also
quoted state law and com
plained about his neighbor’s
dog. Questions went back
and forth. County Manager
Fabian Hollis noted no more
warnings would be given and
citations would be isued and
the person complaining and
dog owner would have to go
to court to hash it out.
Public hearings were held
for planning and zoning
items. Commissioners ap
proved a Special Exception
for Sandy Floyd to place a
mobile home in an R-CD
district. There was no opposi
tion to the special exception.
Rezoning for Rt-Ag to C-t
and Variance for Teramore
Development for a Dollar
General Store to be con
structed on Boy Scout Road
was approved. Represen
tatives were in attendance
and a site plan and building
layout was shown.
Several questions came up
during the rezoning from R-t
to C-2 for Crossroads Bible
Church for a men’s addic
tion recovery ministry at a
former church on Hortman
Mill Road. Chet Cooper from
Crossroads stated this was
a very structured program.
Representatives from other
programs were in atten
dance as was a minister who
had gone through a similar
program. There is stipulation
in the deed that whatever is
located at the old church has
to be some kind of ministry.
Some concerns were raised
because of its proximity to
the recreation fields, how
ever, it was noted residents
couldn’t leave the premises
without permission. It was
also noted that this has noth
ing to do with sex offenders.
Jake Watson, planning
and zoning director told the
board that his office receives
two or three phone calls per
week from people looking
for property to put addiction
recovery programs on. This
location, he noted is across
from the sheriffs office and
there was a need in the com
munity for such a program.
It was noted currently resi
dents have to go outside of
the county for these services.
Watson said he didn’t think
you could find a better loca
tion. Commission Chairman
Paul Chapman noted that
he personally has witnessed
such programs change peo
ple’s lives.
Hollis stated that first of all
these people were human
beings who needed help. Lots
of time the public victimize
people who need help and
secondly there were drug
problems in every school in
the community. The rezon
ing was approved with stipu
lations that if it ever changes
ownership, property would
revert back to original zon
ing; no sex offenders, people
with history of violence or
mental illness be taken into
program; and that all laws,
federal and state and local be
followed.
A fee schedule was ap
proved for solar/wind and
hydro projects and are avail
able in P&Z office.
Hollis asked commissioners
whether they should continue
with the T-SPLOST given the
pandemic which has affect
ed revenues and he thought
it might be better to wait.
After discussion commis
sioners decided to proceed
with T-SPLOST in this year’s
November election.
Hollis informed the board
the county had received a
$267,000 CARES grant for
the transit department. The
county did not apply for this
grant, it was just sent from
the state. The department’s
total budget is half of that
amount and $60,000 comes
from DOT for buses. Hollis
proposed given employees a
raise for a year then taking
it back once the grant ended
which is for a year. Commis
sioners had lots of questions
and problems with a tempo
rary raise which they didn’t
feel fair to other employees
and questioned the legality of
such. This would only be for
the three employees in front
office who deal with transit,
the supervisor and drivers.
Commissioners wanted more
information concerning spe
cifics of what the grant could
be used for in transit and
different recommendations.
Agenda item concerning
Development Authority
Audit was moved to a closed,
executive session which
included litigation. After the
closed session, Commission
er Justin Spillers motioned
to request a forensic financial
audit from a third party audit
firm and a rules, operating
procedures audit as recom
mended from DCA, MGRC
and the Carl Vinson Institute.