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COPYRIGHT - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011 A guide to organizations putting kids with horses Page 6A VOLUME 124 NUMBER 17 • JASPER, GEORGIA • 500= Drug testing your own kids? Page13A Francis Stewart releases autobiography Page18A If you would like to subscribe call 706-253-2457 or fill out a form at ....... \ t. coll "«!»•>» • Ihrral* In \ »tul risrrv *a> r»prrt» \ m \ IT n „ . Inmate Workforce Program saving county money Out o f the dark, into the light Mother of autistic child describes journey from brokenness to salvation By B. Joan Wilson Progress contributor Win-Win solutions are talked about a lot, but in reality, they are pretty rare. Pickens County Sheriff Donnie Craig imple mented a plan in 2009 that has benefitted senior citizens, storm victims, homeless pets, Pickens County taxpayers and the in mates at the Pickens County De tention Center. You may have seen inmates picking up trash on roadways. Did you know inmates actually converted the old fire station building near the Bargain Bam into the Pickens County Animal Shelter? They also help staff the shelter. Inmates also work to clear trees that block roads after heavy stonns—like after recent tornados in west Pickens County. That’s right: the inmate workforce. Cleared trees move to a lot behind the jail, where in mates and cut and split them into firewood. In fall and winter, the Senior Citizens Center staff works with the sheriff’s office to deliver this firewood to needy senior citizens who heat their homes with it. The inmate workforce also provides maintenance services at county buildings like fire sta tions and the airport. The grounds at the Georgia State Patrol office in Pickens County are maintained by an in mate who also washes patrol cars. And rather than hire a cook and maintenance person for the detention center. Sheriff Craig uses inmates to perform those duties. In 2010 the county inmate workforce spent 6,850 hours picking up trash on 155 miles of county roads. The trash picked up filled 3,000 garbage bags. Aluminum cans were separated out and sold to a recycler to pur chase tools or an occasional hamburger lunch for the crew. The inmates contributed See Inmates on Page 12A By Angela Reinhardt Staff writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com Imagine having a child who won’t look at you or talk to you. Imagine having a son who won’t smile, but who spits, screams, flaps his arms and bashes his head against the wall. Imagine all of that, and then try to imagine the devastation and heartache that comes with being the parent of an autistic child. With her autistic son, Bradley, now 13 years old, Kelly Ingram of Jasper has lived through what she describes as hell on Earth. But through her new and power ful relationship with Christ, she has emerged into a place where love, hope and grace trump de spair. From the kitchen table of her Sharp Mountain home, Ingram held nothing back as she retold her story, from living simply as a young and happily married woman, through life-changing brokenness into a rich and fulfill ing world of motherhood and a new career ministering through music and media. Ingram and her husband Mark married just out of high school and divided their time between working during the week and let ting loose on the weekends. Jasper boy Bradley Ingram and his mother Kelly at the Spe cial Olympics. Bradley is 13 years old and has autism. Dining her teenage years, In gram attended a performing arts school but gave that up after marriage. She worked “regular jobs” as administrative assistants and receptionists and had no in terest in God or spirituality. She and her husband lived on their own terms. “The jobs were stuff that I hated,” she said. “But weekends were partying hard, and that was pretty much it. Then Bradley came, and it all changed.” Ingram was 24 when her son Bradley was bom. After a few See Journey on Page 12A Pickens inmates split firewood behind the jail. The wood will be given to senior citizens this winter to heat their homes. This is just one of the projects the sheriff’s office has undertaken using their inmate workforce. Qualifying next week for Nelson Council races Jasper club optimistic, 30 years and counting By Angela Reinhardt Staff writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com The Optimist Club of Jasper’s Charter President Von Hinton said when he came to Pickens in 1970 there were only two civic clubs in town; the Jaycees and the Lions Club. Since then, dozens of other organizations have been fonned in the county with some going on to become great successes and others dissolving or disbanding over time. The Optimist Club of Jasper, which Hinton formed in 1981, is one of the success stories. With strong leadership and dedicated membership, Hinton says the group has survived and thrived for three long decades. See Optimistic on Page 12A By Jeff Warren Staff writer jwarren@pickensprogress.com Qualifying opens and closes next week for Nelson residents who want to run for a seat on the Nelson City Council. By council terms normally expiring, three council seats come open at the end of this year. A fourth seat stands open now, due to the re cent resignation of Paul Feldman who formerly served. A special election to fill the remainder of Feldman's uncom pleted term will be added to Nel son's Municipal General Election ballot, a ballot that will include the other three seats to be filled. That General Election is to occur Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at Nelson City Hall. As with most any modern Public invited to groundbreaking at Bethany-Salem Fire Department Bethany Salem Fire Department would like to invite the commu nity to a ground breaking ceremony. It will be held on Friday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. The site for the new fire station is 200 Henderson Moun tain Road, just off of Highway 108. election in the county, early voting and advance voting at the Pickens County Elections Office will precede the No vember 8 election. The Pick ens County Elections Office is at 83 Pioneer Road in Jasper, near Chattahoochee Technical College and City Park. Qualifying of candidates to run for those Nelson Council seats coming up for a vote in November begins Monday. Qualifying opens Monday, August 29, at the Pickens County Elections Office. Qualifying closes with the close of the Elections Office work day the following Fri day, September 2. The Elections Office is See Races on Page 15A County, Young Life Camp continue 3-year battle over tax exempt status ruling giving Young Life of Texas tax-exempt status for 647 of its 1,146 acres in the Grand view area. The debate over whether the property qualifies for tax-ex empt status under either the state’s religious worship statute or public charity exemption will likely not be resolved until the coming year as both sides will again present oral arguments to an appeals judge. “We have filed a notice of ap peal to challenge the trial court’s ruling in part,” said Jane Range of Hulsey, Oliver and Mahar who is representing the county’s interests. “There was a motion for summary judgment that made two contentions: that the facility is a public place of wor ship and that it is a purely public charity. The judge ruled mostly in their favor (regarding) the public place of worship. We plan to appeal that part of the ruling.” Range said it would likely be the better part of a year before a ruling is made on the appeal. “We’ve taken the first step. It’s just going to be a long process,” Range said. “I’m com fortable that this decision the trial court made was not correct based on current law, and we’re See Tax on Page 15A By Christie Pool Attorneys for Pickens Staff writer County have filed a notice of ap- christie@pickensprogress.com peal to challenge a trial court’s Young Life website / Photo Aerial view of the Young Life campus Damon Howell / Photo Paving Underway on Grandview County employees work Tuesday “lev eling” Grandview Road. The leveling layer is essentially the same material as a top coat but is applied before final paving to the roughest spots of a road to prepare it for a smooth top coat. Road Department Supervisor Greg Collis said the work on the five mile road should be wrapped up by next week. He said the county will receive $300,000 of the $330,000project cost from state Department of Transportation funds. “We have to put in a little, but it’s our $30,000 to the state’s $300,000, ” Collis said. “I know people like to see some of the money we send to the state coming back. ” The work will be performed using road department employees and equip ment. Collis said they wanted to re-pave Grandview “before it gets in de plorable condition. ” He said if you take the state routes out, roads like Grandview along with Jerusalem Church Road and Jones Mountain Road are considered primary routes in Pickens County. Jerusalem Church and Jones Mountain have been re-surfaced in recent years. “We’ve been trying to keep our main routes in good condition and then get to the secondary roads when we get a chance, ” Collis said. Obituaries ■ Page 11A Brenda Woodward Edna James Elizabeth Weir Flora Ledrew Phillip Butt www.PickensProgress.com www.facebook.com/PickensProgress www.Twitter.com/PickensProgress u The Progress is partly printed on recycled newsprint and is recyclable.