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PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MARCH 16. 2017
Topics at March school board meeting
High school principal search,
2018 budget
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The Pickens County
Board of Education made
quick work of their March
meeting so the superintend
ent and board members could
attend the Optimist Club’s
STAR Student Banquet held
the same evening.
Among items briefly dis
cussed were:
•High school principal
search is still underway.
Members of the PHS school
advisory council will assist
Pickens Schools’ Superin
tendent Dr. Charles Webb
with the screening and inter
viewing process before he
makes a recommendation to
the board. The system has re
ceived 14 applications to
date. Dr. Webb will use re
sults of a local survey of fac
ulty, staff, students, parents
and stockholders in the
process of selecting a princi
pal. Dr. Webb’s recommen
dation is expected no later
Pickens High School’s three-time state wrestling champ Koby Milner with school board
members (l to r) Katherine White, Byron Long, Chair Daniel Bell, Delane Lewis and Sue
Finley along with Pickens County Schools’ Interim Superintendent Dr. Charles Webb.
than mid-April.
•PHS Senior Koby Milner
was recognized for his un
precedented accomplishment
of winning three consecutive
state championships in
wrestling. He has won the
state title as sophomore, jun
ior and now as senior in a
higher AAAA 120-pound
weight class. “Koby is a great
young man,” said PHS Ath
letic Director Coach Chris
Parker, who called him the
most accomplished athlete in
the system’s history. “We
couldn’t ask for a better
young man to represent us at
the state level.”
•Pickens County Schools
Chief Financial Officer Amy
Drive safe this St. Patrick’s Day
says highway safety groups
Smith reported that the sys
tem has collected 72.86 of
budgeted revenue and over
90 percent of property tax
revenue for FY 2016, which
is on track. The system’s fis
cal year end on June 31st.
•Preliminary preparations
are underway for FY 2018
budget. The budgeting
process will begin March 23.
•The first collection for
SPLOST V was received.
Collections for the month of
February were $350,590.
•Georgia Department of
Audits and Accounts will be
at the central office for about
three weeks for the auditing
process. “Hopefully we will
have a great report come out
for you,” Smith said.
•Spring Break for stu
dents is April 3-7.
•During the month of
F ebruary, the Pickens
County Sheriff’s Office Stu
dent Resource Office re
ported 2-Possession of
Marijuana Less than 1 oz.
and 1-Battery at school cam
puses, as well as five cita
tions and subpoenas issued
for truancy. Eight CHAMPS
classroom presentations were
also conducted.
•Food service is going
through the three-year state
audit. A report of this audit
will be presented at next
month’s meeting.
•Tate Elementary re
ceived highest monthly at
tendance for both students
and staff for the month of
February.
•Dropout total for the
school year is four, down
from six students reported at
last month’s meeting.
•The board approved pur
chase of six-72 passenger
buses at $94,497. each for a
total cost of $566,982. These
buses will be paid for with
SPLOST IV hinds.
•Following superintend
ent recommendation, the
board voted to increase pay
of Non-CDL bus monitors
from $40 per day to $50 per
day; to pay substitute bus
drivers $50 per day, up from
$40 per day; and to pay
coaches or club sponsors $ 14
per hour for trips driven out
side their sport or sponsor
ship.
Betting On A Better Future
As one of the country’s
most popular holidays, St.
Patrick’s Day has long cele
brated the roots of 34.2 mil
lion Americans with Irish
ancestry. But with all of that
celebration brings an increase
in drunk-driving crashes.
This year, if you’ll be drink
ing alcohol, the Department
of Driver Services (DDS)
and the Georgia Motorcycle
Safety Program (GMSP),
urges you to keep our roads
safe this St. Patrick’s Day-
designate a sober driver.
Tragically, March 17th
has become one of the na
tion’s deadliest holidays. This
year it arrives on a Friday, so
the potential for drunk driv
ing crashes is even greater.
“Please celebrate responsibly
by never driving or riding im
paired. Using seatbelts and
arranging rides for friends
who should not drive are ex
cellent ways to ensure every
one arrives safe,” said DDS
Commissioner Spencer R.
Moore.
According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Ad
ministration, in 2015, 30 peo
ple were killed in
drunk-driving crashes over
the St. Patrick’s Day holiday
period nationwide. In fact,
from 2011 to 2015, almost
three-fourths of the drunk
driving fatalities during this
holiday period involved driv
ers who had BACs well
above the .08 legal limit, with
252 drunk-driving fatalities
total. And keep an eye out for
pedestrians who have had too
much to drink; walking while
intoxicated can also be
deadly, as lack of attention
and coordination puts drunk
pedestrians at risk of getting
hit by a vehicle.
GMSP Manager, Tom
Komjathy says, “Drunk driv
ing kills more than 10,000
people each year in our coun
try, and every single one of
those are preventable. The
GMSP is encouraging you to
make a plan before you head
out on the road. Designate a
sober driver before you and
your friends celebrate. Do
not wait until you’ve already
been drinking to find a sober
driver, and never try to
drive/ride when you’re
drunk. Drive Sober or Get
Pulled Over. Even one drink
is dangerous if you’re behind
the wheel of a car.”
Tips to stay safe this
St. Patricks Day:
PLAN AHEAD: Desig
nate a sober, reliable driver to
get you home safely. Find the
name of a taxi company (or
two), and keep their numbers
in your phone, download the
NHTSA SaferRide app, or
rideshare.
ON ST. PATRICK’S
DAY: Before you take your
first sip of green beer, leave
your keys at home or give
them to a friend. Ensure your
designated driver has com
mitted to a sober evening. If
you’re the designated driver,
do not drink. Your friends are
relying on you, as are the
people with whom you share
the road.
Commit to sober driving
every day. Not only is drink
ing and driving a crime that
could land you with a hefty
court bill and jail time, but
you put yourself and others at
risk. The consequences are
often fatal. If you see a drunk
driver on the road, contact
local police when it’s safe to
do so. If your friend/loved
one is under the influence
and heading for their vehicle,
step in and stop them. You
could save a life.
For more information, visit
www.trafficsafetymarket-
ing.gov.
A Fundraiser for PCAP
^ Casino Night ^
$1,000 Casino Money
Heavy Appetizer Buffet
Complimentary Drink
Prizes Galore
Tax Deduction
Club Tamarack at Bent Tree
March 18,2017
7 -10:30 pm
Tickets—$50/person
Call PCAP Offices at
706-253-6488
Nominations for Places in Peril
sought by state historical group
The Georgia Trust for
Historic Preservation is seek
ing nominations for its 2018
list of'Places in Peril,' an an
nual accounting of the state's
10 most endangered historic
places. The list is designed to
raise awareness about Geor
gia's significant historic, ar
chaeological and cultural
resources, including build
ings, structures, districts, ar
chaeological sites and
cultural landscapes that are
threatened by demolition,
neglect, lack of maintenance,
inappropriate development or
insensitive public policy.
The submission deadline is
Monday, June 12; the list will
be announced in November.
Criteria:
Historic properties are se
lected for listing based on
several criteria:
Sites must be listed or eli
gible for listing in the Na
tional Register of Historic
Places or the Georgia Regis
ter of Historic Places.
Sites must be subject to a
serious threat to their exis
tence or historical, architec
tural and/or archaeological
integrity.
There must be a demon
strable level of community
commitment and support for
the preservation of listed
sites.
How to Nominate a Site:
Please visit Georgia-
Tmst.org for a nomination
form. Additional information
about past 'Places in Peril'
sites can also be found on our
website. Nominations must
be postmarked or e-mailed
no later than Monday, June
12.
Sites on previous years'
lists include: Pasaquan, a vi
sionary art site in Buena
Vista, was completely re
stored with funding by the
Kohler Foundation and is
now operated by Columbus
State University; Harrington
School in St. Simons Island
received a $25,000 challenge
grant from the Watson-
Brown Foundation to com
plete the interior restoration;
Hancock County Courthouse
in Sparta was rebuilt after a
fire destroyed much of the in
terior in 2014; the A.L Miller
School in Macon is being
transformed into affordable
housing; the Rock House in
Thomson is now owned by
McDuffie County and will
receive nearly $450,000 in
SPLOST funding; the John
Berrien House in Savannah is
now home to the business of
fice of the Queensborough
National Bank & Trust; and
Capricorn Recording Studio
in Macon was acquired by
Mercer University to become
a local music incubator.
To learn more about The
Georgia Trust and the 'Places
in Peril' program, visit geor-
giatmst.org
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