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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. OCTOBER 7. 2021
Continued From 1A
Changes
“You can’t do it all, but
you do all you can,” he said.
“I didn’t do it all, but I did all
I could. Your objective when
you take over as police chief
is to leave it in better shape
than you found it - not to take
away from the former chief
[here before me]. And
[Dawkins] is going to leave it
better than he found it.”
Lovell called the street
dedication was a “big honor.”
He also thanked council and
the administration for putting
defined benefits into effect
two years ago. Under the de
fined benefit plan, city em
ployees can retire if their
combined years of employ
ment (including years served
in the military), plus their age
equals 80. Age must be a
minimum of 55 years to re
ceive this benefit. Lovell is
55 years old.
“I’ve told people I’ve
never had a child, but that
was the closest thing to my
first bom when y’all signed
that. It gave a light at the end
of the tunnel. It’s a recruiting
tool...and really puts us up
there,” he said.
The outgoing chief is
going to spend his retirement
days relaxed and carefree.
“Everyone is asking what
I’m going to do, and I’m
going to do whatever I want,”
he said in a later interview,
laughing. “I’m going to play
a lot of golf, and just enjoy
life.”
For his final report, Lovell
told council his department
received 882 calls for serv
ice, including 51 motor vehi
cle accidents, and issued 102
citations in September.
Council profusely thanked
Lovell for his longtime serv
ice.
Lawrence appointed
interim city manager
Jasper Mayor Steve
Lawrence was appointed in
terim city manager after the
resignation of Brandon Dou
glas, who will return to work
in the Acworth government.
Council has received ap
plications from potential can
didates for the city manager
position, and will hold inter
views on October 15 and Oc
tober 22.
City council is authorized
to appoint the mayor as an in
terim city manager for a pe
riod of 90 days, without
compensation above what he
receives as mayor.
A press release dated Oct.
4 states, “Mayor Lawrence
has agreed to accept this tem
porary assignment and is en
couraged that the applicants
and candidates that have been
submitted for consideration
for the permanent role of city
manager will result in a qual
ified professional fulfilling
the role soon.”
Council thanked Douglas
for his 30 months of service.
Council member Jim Looney
noted that he came on board
during a difficult time in
Jasper government.
Douglas said it was his
privilege and honor to serve,
and that “God brought me
here, and only God could
take me away.. .thank you for
a special ride.”
Movies and more: Back-to-
back community events
scheduled in downtown this
month
Council approved closure
of Stegall Drive between
Pendley Creek Brewing Co.
and LC Tacos & Margaritas
for four events just before
Halloween.
This section of Stegall
Drive, just off Main Street,
has recently been outfitted
with removable posts that
can be put in place to close
(L-R) Board members Tommy Gartrell, Tucker Green, Aaron Holland, and chair Sue Finley, Pickens Superintendent
Tony Young, Pickens Maintenance & Operations Director Stacy Gilleland, and Henry Pineda and Brandon Harmon of
Carroll Daniels Construction. Board member Steve Smith was not in attendance due to family matters. The foundation
has been poured for the facility and steel is expected to be delivered by the end of the week.
Ag
Representatives, applauded
the board for their courage
and foresight to “go forward
in these tough times of
COVID and everything that
is changing the way we do
education to do a facility like
this.”
“This facility back here is
going to start training our
largest employer in the state
of Georgia, which is agricul
ture,” he said. “What great
vision you have for the future
of Pickens County and the
state of Georgia. Long after
you are a board member
there will be people coming
in here for the instruction and
carrying on with their lives
with the skills they learn.”
Doug Breaux, of architect
firm Breaux & Associates,
said he was honored to be
part of the project, “and look
ing forward to the next one.
We’ve got a bid opening next
week for the high school ag
facility. Thank you for letting
us be a part of it.”
the road to traffic. Per recom
mendation of council mem
ber Kirk Raffield, council
voted to keep that portion of
the road closed from Thurs
day, October 21 through the
weekend to test a longer clo
sure of that area, which is in
tended to be used as a
community gathering and
event space downtown. The
vote was contingent on a dis
cussion with the school board
to see how the closure would
impact drop-off and pick-up
traffic for Jasper Middle
School.
Raffield said he is excited
to see the area used for its in
tended purpose, to support
and bolster downtown events
and community gatherings.
Events approved were:
• Thursday, Oct. 21 for a
Rotary Club fundraising
event to include four area Ro
tary clubs.
• Saturday, Oct. 23, hosted
by Pendley Creek Brewing
Co. to include live music,
food, and a family-friendly
movie.
• Friday, Oct. 29, hosted
by LC Tacos & Margaritas to
include a mariachi band,
movie, and face painting.
• Saturday, Oct. 30, hosted
by Atlantic Coast Conser
vancy to include a free com
munity movie showing of
Young Frankenstein.
Repairs to Gennett Drive
bridge delayed after hefty
bids received
A bid opening for repairs
to the bridge on Gennett
Drive, which has been
washed out since March due
to floods, came in much
higher than city officials an
ticipated.
According to Jasper’s De
velopment Director Lonnie
Waters, two bids were re
ceived for those repairs - one
for around $608,000 and one
for $730,000. Outgoing City
Manager Brandon Douglas
said this was approximately
$300,000 more than they ex
pected.
City leaders have reported
repair delays have been due
to demands by the Georgia
Department of Transporta
tion, which requires pre-qual-
ified engineering work before
the city can receive reim
bursement for a portion of the
project. Douglas said council
will need to consider whether
or not it is worth doing re
pairs to those GDOT specifi
cations after bids came in so
high. Waters said GDOT typ
ically fund 75 percent and re
quires a 25 percent match,
but added that he is unsure
what amount the state agency
would cover in light of the
bids.
Following a question from
council member Looney, Wa
ters said bids should be good
for 30-45 days. The item, as
well as consideration of bids
for sidewalk repairs, was
tabled by council for further
discussion.
In other news from council:
•Council approved alco
hol license advertising for a
wine specialty shop, First
Mountain Tasting Room, to
be located at 35 South Main
Street in Jasper.
•The development direc
tor reported 23 building per
mits for the month of
September, 40 inspections,
10 soil and erosion inspec
tions, and five new business
licenses.
•Fire Chief Steve Roper
reported 168 calls for service
in September, including no
structure fires, 123 medical
calls, and 27 miscellaneous
calls.
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Continued From 1A
Tick
veterinary entomologist for
the state.
“The most significant im
pact will likely be on cattle,
one of the tick’s preferred
hosts,” Hinkle said, stressing
that because this tick can
transmit a significant cattle
disease, theileriosis, it poten
tially poses a serious threat to
cattle economics through
production losses and control
costs.
Ticks are bloodsucking
pests that are the most effec
tive pathogen vectors of any
blood-feeding arthropods. In
their native range, Asian
longhomed ticks are known
to transmit a number of
human disease-causing bac
teria including Anaplasma,
Babesia, Borrelia, Coxiella,
Ehrlichia, Rickettsia and
Theileria, Hinkle said.
“These ticks also transmit
the virus that causes severe
fever with thrombocytopenia
syndrome in humans. Here in
North America, researchers
demonstrated that this tick
could transmit Theileria ori-
entalis Ikeda strain in cattle.
There is also some indication
they may produce tick bite-
induced red meat allergy,”
she added.
The good news for cattle
producers is that tick control
products recommended and
registered for tick control use
on cattle will be effective
against Asian longhorned
ticks as well, Hinkle said. A
list of these products and how
to properly use them can be
found starting on page 68 of
the 2021 commercial edition
of the Georgia Pest Manage
ment Handbook.
The Asian longhomed tick
was first discovered in North
America on a sheep in New
Jersey in 2017. In only four
years, it has spread to 17
states.
Perhaps the primary rea
son it has spread so quickly is
that this tick is partheno-
genetic, which means it does
not need a male to reproduce.
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In fact, males are rarely
found in this species of tick.
“Any female, dropped
anywhere, can reproduce. So,
if an Asian longhomed tick is
on a bird that is migrating
south for the winter, and the
tick drops off in south Geor
gia, she can lay a batch of
eggs and start a whole new
tick population all by her
self,” Hinkle explained.
Every single one of those
eggs will produce a female
tick.
“No eggs are wasted. In
most animal populations, half
the eggs are males, which
means they can’t contribute
to the next generation. Fe
males are the only ones that
leave progeny. With these
ticks, all 2,000 eggs from
each batch are females which
all produce eggs, and so on.
That doubles the population
potential every generation,”
Hinkle continued.
The most important action
to be taken now is to be
proactive in caring for ani
mals and ourselves, accord
ing to Hinkle.
The Asian longhomed tick
has been confirmed in north
Georgia, marking the first
Georgia case of the invasive
tick which has been found in
16 other U.S. states since
2017.
“If an animal has one tick,
it’s probably our common
Lonestar tick; if a cow shows
up with hundreds of ticks on
it, we’re going to be very sus
picious (of Asian longhomed
ticks),” Hinkle said.
Hinkle encourages anyone
— cattlemen, horse people,
people with backyard poul
try, pet owners — who finds
a lot of ticks on animals or
any unusual tick infestation,
to call the Georgia Depart
ment of Agriculture Animal
Health Section at 404-656-
3667.
Pet owners need to be
aware of this new tick and
should be conscientious
about killing any ticks found
on their pets or themselves.
“Even a partially fed tick,
if pidled off the animal and
thrown to the ground, can
crawl off and lay over 1,000
eggs. We encourage you to
put all ticks in a small bottle
of alcohol to ensure they
die,” Hinkle urged.
Fortunately, it appears that
products registered for tick
control on cats and dogs will
also be effective against the
tiny, invasive tick, which is
known to carry a pathogenic
punch, Hinkle said.
As always, everyone
needs to continue to be vigi
lant in checking themselves
and family members for ticks
after spending time outdoors,
Hinkle urged, whether work
ing or playing in yards at
home, hiking in the woods or
working in farm pastures.
[Michele Hatcher is the edi
tor of the Hexapod Herald, the
newsletter of the University of
Georgia Department of Ento
mology’.]
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