The Georgia post. (Knoxville, Crawford County, Ga.) 19??-current, December 16, 2021, Image 1

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The Georgia post., December 16, 2021, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextBe the Change, Lead the Change The Georgia Post is 100 years old this year Thank you to our community! \J UNITEDM 2WE STAND* ii > OD*FAMILY*COUNTR^ Issue 50 Thursday, DECEMBER 16, 2021 Animal control only taking nuisance dogs BY KATELYN JENNINGS The Georgia Post County Manager, Fabian Hollis, announced last week at the Crawford County Com missioner’s meeting that the animal control facility is up and running. All of the ken nels have been built, and dog houses installed. They also received the license required for the facility. At this time, the animal control is only taking in nuisance dogs within the county. This will not be for owner surrendered pets. Melissa Smith, County Nurse Manager with the Health Department, made an appearance in front of the Board to voice concerns with a bill received for storage. Lesley McNary, Development Authority Director, sent a bill for $300 to the Health Department for storage in the business center. Mrs. Smith stated she was fine paying the fee, however, it was not agreed upon. County Attorney, Joel Sherlock, advised the Dev. Authority is unable to bill the county for funds that were not agreed upon. Commissioner Spillers spoke up during the discussion and asked that this issue be sorted out after the meeting was over, all parties agreed. The Board voted on and ap proved several board appoint ments during the meeting. Jake Watson Sr. was appoint ed to the Middle Georgia Regional Commission Board. Commissioner Omar Dickey appointed Barbara Kelly, and Commissioner Justin Spillers appointed Joe Romeo to the Planning and Zoning Board. Mr. Lee was appointed to the Fort Valley Utilities Commis sion Board. Commissioners voted and approved to accept the new Transit Alcohol and Drug Testing Policy for the county. This policy would require all employees with the Transit Department get tested every quarter. This is a federal man date, and this policy states the county will agree to complete the testing that is required. Doug Kelley, with the Recre ation Department, presented four positions on the Rec Department Board that need ed to be filled. Two positions were up for reappointment, and two vacancies. These appointments needed to be discussed in executive session then voted on. The Board went into execu tive session to discuss Rec reation Department Board Appointments and personnel. When the meeting the re sumed and Todd Youngblood and Craig Puckett were voted and approved by the commis sioners to be reappointed to the Recreation Department Board. The two vacancies were voted on, and the Board approved to appoint Caleb Adams for the one year term and Terrance Searcy to the three year term. It was also voted and approved to give County Manager Fabian Hol lis a 2% raise. Shooting under investigation December it, 2021 at approximately 12:32 a.m. the Craw ford County Sheriffs Office received a call about a person being shot in the 6800 block of Sandy Point Road. Upon the deputies’ arrival, they found the owner Michael Bryant Smith, 31, had been shot in the leg. Smith was transported to a local hospital by Community Ambulance Service with non-life threatening injuries. This is an ongoing investigation by the Crawford County Sheriffs Office to determine the cause of this incident. Further information will be provided later. County gets Crawford County was recently awarded an Em ployee Safety Grant from the ACCG - Group Self-Insurance Workers’ Compensation Fund (ACCG-GSIWCF) in the amount of $2500. The Employee Safety Grants are available to Fund members that are fostering a culture of workplace safety through ad ditional training, equipment, or services. The ACCG-GSIWCF Board of Trustees allotted $1.5 million in grant funds over a three- year period, with $500,000 available to eligible members in 2021. “We are pleased to offer this grant program to assist members in improving their safety efforts,” said AC CG-GSIWCF Board of Trust ees Chairman and McDuffie County Commissioner Freder ick Favors. “The opportunity to receive the Employee Safety Grant is one of the many ben efits of being a part of ACCG’s member-owned workers’ compensation program.” The ACCG-GSIWCF pro vides workers’ compensation insurance to more Georgia county governments than all other insurers combined and safety grant has assets of approximately $274 million. Since 1985, the program has returned $99 million in dividends to the membership. Loss control services are provided to all members of the workers’ compensation pro gram through Local Govern ment Risk Management Ser vices (LGRMS), a non-profit agency operated jointly with the Georgia Municipal Association. Each member appoints a Safety Coordinator to work with LGRMS to create and maintain safe working environments for govern ment officials, employees and volunteers. ACCG is Georgia’s County Association and was formed in 1914 when county officials came together to help fund the state’s first highway depart ment. ACCG works on behalf of county officials and their communities by providing public policy and legislative advocacy, leadership devel opment, civic and commu nity engagement initiatives, insurance and retirement programs that specialize in local government needs and other cost-saving programs. The Voice of Crawford County Since 1921 also serving Byron and Peach County 1 Sections 8 Pages, 1 Insert One Dollar Parade judges This year’s Christmas parade was in honor of law enforcement, servicemen, educators, firemen and healthcare workers. Judg es for the parade pictured above are: Donna Pascal, Denise Willis and Denise Pascal. Winners were first place, the Kiwanis Wagon, trike and bike; second place as the high school band and third the horse with decorations. Winners for the Kiwanis Club Bikes, Trikes and Wagons parade was first, the reg wagon, two story dog house with dogs; second place, Bill Patton’s son with the tree in wagon and third, the green bicycles. Development Authority elects new chairman BY KATELYN JENNINGS The Georgia Post Members of the Develop ment Authority Board opened bids last week for the roof replacement on C Hall of the Business Center. Two bids were received; one from Ken Smith with Bibb Home Improvement for $43,893, and the second was from Choice Roofing for $37,700. It was stated both companies have the proper insurance needed and both have com pleted work for the county previously. Both companies were going to complete the work the same according to the bids. The Board voted and approved to award the bid to Choice Roofing since they had the lower bid. Chuck Langford made an ap pearance in front of the Board to request obtaining fill dirt from a property owned by the Development Authority. The offer was that Langford would remove the dirt and grade the property in exchange for get ting to keep the dirt removed to fill an area on his property. One Board member, Dennis Kelly, mentioned having tons of dirt that Langford could come get. Langford agreed to just get the dirt from Kelly. The Board voted and ap proved to take the first step, and get a land disturbance permit from EPD to have that property graded. Director of the Development Authority, Lesley McNary, presented the 2021 Yearly Performance Incentive for their four employees. Last year they received $250 each, and the proposal was to give that same incentive this year. Members of the Board took a vote, and approved the incentive. 2022 Development Au thority Election was held to appoint the new chairman and other positions. The new appointments are as follows: Chairman-Richard Murphy, Vice Chairman-Dennis Kelly, Treasurer- Diane Griffin, and Secretary-Lesley McNary. All positions were voted on and approved by the Board. The Board then went into a closed executive session. New CC Development Authority board member Broadus Williams and new Economic Development Assistant Director Tisa Horton on successfully completing the Development Authority Training through the University of Georgia, Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Pictured left to right: former Chairman Hill Bentley, Broadus Williams and Tisa Horton. Women’s rehab opened here without going through proper channels BY KRISTI WATKINS The Georgia Post Roberta City Council had a packed room during their monthly meeting for out of town citizens backing a wom en’s rehab center who began business in the City of Roberta without first going to P&Z. The question to council was if they would waive the procedure of the non-profit LightHouse World Changers, Inc. and is listed as any legal purpose through the state. The non-profit began in Au gust 2020 out of two conflict ing cities on the address with the State of Georgia: Macon verses Lizella, but is the home of the CEO and CFO, Doreen and Robert Gene Stumpf in Lizella. Many questions were asked about the “Two Family” in the city planning and zoning ordinance. The Stumpf s did not go through the proper channels before moving in women into the duplex in question at 30 McCrary Ave nue purchased by Otha Dent on September 28,2021 which is zoned as two family R-2. It was stated by Crawford County Planning and Zon ing -Zoning Administrator Jake Watson, the non-profit planned to have 12-15 women in the duplex which is a two bedroom, one bath and a one bedroom, one bath. The 10-15 women in the” two family” duplex would exceed the defi nition of “two family”. Watson also added if the LHWC, Inc. would have gone through the proper channels, the timeline would be short er for it to go through P&Z board. The P&Z board would have to approve the change of zoning from R-2 to C-2 with two public hearings starting six months from the time of application of the change. The timeline is around 12 -13 months for the zoning change to go before council to be approved. He also added that since this is a rehab facility, it triggers the state code for zoning. He also stated there would have to be two public hearings before any approval or denial from the city. Doreen Stumpf explained to council the need of more places for women in recovery. She explained they would not be able to leave the premises. Sundays are visitation days from 1-3 p.m. and that is when there would be more vehicles there. She stated there would be only short vis its daily from admin so there would not be many vehicles present. Stumpf compared the people in need of the wom en’s rehab/recovery home as to those people similar with cancer on “hitting that reset button” with a long term re covery. She added there were minimal risks with the women she would have living in the home and there would be no loitering issues and no strain on the community. The non-profit LightHouse World Changers uses a Chris tian based five step process for women in recovery which focuses on stabilization, ab stinence, resolving relational wounds of the past, repairing broken belief systems, and restoring relational health through last intimacy with God, self, and others accord ing to their website. The non-profit runs mainly on donations from local See PROPER, Page 6 Former commissioner to be sentenced on felonies Gregory Dent, a former Crawford County Commis sioner, will be sentenced Fri day according to the Superior Clerk of Court in Whitfield County, Georgia. On January 2, 2020, Gregory Dent was arrested for theft by taking, larceny and other felony charges. In November 2019, an audit of the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership in Dalton, Georgia, found incon sistencies that led the organi zation’s board to unanimously “terminate the employment” of executive director Greg Dent. Dent is to be sentenced Fri day with no trial after plead ing guilty to the felony charge of theft by taking following an embezzlement investigation, according to a press release from the Dalton Police De partment in January 2020. “So far, the investigation has found that Mr. Dent misappropriated more than $80,000 from the organi zation for his personal use over a period of three years,” according to the press release. “Detectives determined that Dent began to use funds from the Healthcare Partnership in 2017, continuing through 2019 to the time of his firing,” the press release said. The press release said Dent “used the stolen funds for personal use not related to the business including travel, meals, clothing and other personal expenses.” Dent had served as executive director of the Healthcare Partnership since 2014 and before that spent nine years as president and CEO of Community Health Works in Macon. Both groups are nonprofit agencies aimed at increasing access to health care and improving the health of the members of their com munity. Dent was elected to the Crawford County Board of Commissioners in 1996 and served eight years on the board, including three as chairman. He ran unsuccess fully for the Ward 1 seat on the Dalton City Council in 2015. Dent is a graduate of Georgia College and State University, where he received a bachelor of business administration de gree in accounting. He worked for several years in accounting and financial management.