Newspaper Page Text
BILLY IN HEAVEN
WITH 10 FINGERS / 4A
Tuesday, June 15,2021
barnesville.com
Barnesville, Ga. 30204
Milner Library board member
refutes Seda's debt figures
Librarian
Denise Groll
receives
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Bill Christopher, who
generally reports the library
financials to the Milner city
council, has submitted to the
city and The Herald Gazette
“a set of projections based
on a different set of assump
tions.”
Councilman Skip Seda had
outlined a bleak forecast for
large increases in the city’s
costs to keep the library
open for the current allot
ted 20-year period of opera
tion. Seda said costs would
increase by 10% each year,
but Christopher’s forecast is
based on “increases at the
historical rate” of 2.31% over
the 20-year period. Other
different “assumptions”
in Christopher’s report
include:
-At some point in time
either federal or state
legislation will mandate
increased minimum
wages.
-Any significant
legislated increase in
minimum wages would
be phased in.
-At some point de
mands on the library
would require looking at
increasing open hours.
-Any increased de
mands would be season
al and could be staffed
in part with seasonal em
ployees paid seasonal rates.
-Capital expenditures for
such items as landscaping,
paving, building ex
pansion, etc., should
be budgeted sepa
rately and funded
separately and there
fore not included in
the cost of operation.
State library
statistics show that
“return on invest
ment” in libraries is
$6 for every $1 spent,
according to the state
of Georgia Public
Library website, said
Christopher.
“In other words,
each patron gets
assistance and op
portunities worth $6
for each dollar invested by
funding agencies,” he said.
As shown in Christopher’s
spreadsheet figures, the total
budget for the library in 2020
was $79,802, and at the 2.31%
rate of increase the budget in
20 years would be $184,899,
not the “millions” predicted
by Seda.
Georgia libraries received a
total of $225,807,139 from gov
ernments, including federal,
in 2020, the figures show. The
amounts do not include sepa
rate grants; Christopher says
at least 60% of library funding
comes from donors, small
grants and sales. One of the
Milner library purchases from
federal funds was for eight
Chrome Books which can be
checked out - just like books
- by the patrons, Christopher
said.
THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER
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VFW celebrates 75 years
VFW Post 6542 officially celebrated its 75th anniversary Sunday with a dinner at Deraney’s Two-City Tavern in
Barnesville. State VFW officers were on hand to mark the occasion. The drink of the day was traditional Chatham
artilleryman’s punch.
VFW commander Richard Wright is shown with a stained glass piece he and his family had made for the new
VFW building, construction of which will begin later this year on land just to the north of the existing facility (see
page 2A).
'Juneteenth' event planned for June 19
Myles-Wimberly
Park will be the main
site for Barnesville-
Lamar County’s first
“Juneteenth Freedom
Festival,” organized
by April Scott. The
celebration begins at
2 p.m. with a parade
lineup at Summers
Field, with the actual march to
the park starting at 3 p.m.
Various activities will be
held there until 8 p.m. “All
ages are welcome to this
family event,” Scott said.
The celebration marks the
June 19, 1865, arrival in
Galveston, Tex., of a Union
general who came to in
form slaves in Texas that
they had been freed by the
Emancipation Proclamation
declared two years before by
President Abraham Lincoln.
“Juneteenth” grew through
the years; in 1980, Texas be
came the first state to recog
nize June 19 as a state holiday.
Galveston remains a gather
ing point for descendants of
slaves to mark the glad news
of freedom. Juneteenth events
emphasize education and
achievement, a time for assess
ment and planning for the fu
ture. For more information, call
Scott at 470-352-9287 or email
smithaprill427@gmail.com.
SCOTT
genealogy
scholarship
Denise Groll,
branch manag
er and librarian
at the Milner
Community
Library, has
been awarded
a $545 scholar
ship from the
Institute for Ge
nealogical and
Historical Research, through
the Georgia Public Library
System.
“1 was very happy to re
ceive the scholarship,” Groll
said. “There are plans for a
Genealogy Club at the library,
so 1 want to be able to offer
the latest information to my
patrons. The virtual class will
be the week of July 25.”
Her initial class will be on
Methods and Sources, she
said. For more information
about the club or the library,
call 770-358-5063.
Barnesville
man charged
with child
molestation,
exploitation
A local man
was arrested
May 28 on
multiple counts
following an
investigation by
the Barnesville
Police Depart
ment and state
and federal au
thorities which
monitor the child pornography
trade and online sexual exploi
tation of children.
Marty Allen Kinard, 46, was
arrested in Thomaston after
search warrants were executed
at his home at 326 Taylor St. in
Barnesville. He is charged with
aggravated child molestation,
two counts of child moles
tation and seven counts of
sexual exploitation of children
(creating and/or possessing
child pornography).
The probe into Kinard’s
internet activity began after
the GBFs Child Exploitation
and Computer Crimes unit
received multiple reports from
the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children that
Kinard was in possession of
child porn.
Kinard was denied bond at
a preliminary hearing and is
being held in the Lamar County
jail. The investigation is ongo
ing.
KINARD
GROLL
Sign up for
Lamar Arts
Kids Camps
Lamar Arts Kids Camps
2021 will be held from 9 a.m.
to noon each day at the Depot
Gallery. The Art Camp will be
held July 5-9 for ages 5-12 and
the Theatre Camp will be held
July 12-16 for ages 8-14. Camps
will be mostly outdoors with
masking protocols inside. Cost
is $60 per camper per week.
Scholarships are available by
request. Forms are available
at LCPS, LCES, Barnesville and
Milner libraries and The Her
ald Gazette. Mail completed
forms with payment to Lamar
Arts, RO. Box 688, Barnesville,
GA 30204.
©2021 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS