Newspaper Page Text
HEALTH CHECK
Learn how to check radon levels in your home and about
getting the COVID-19 vaccine on this special Health page.
See page 7 A
PIKE COUNTY
REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021
Early voting
underway
in DA race
Early voting is
underway for the Feb.
9 election for District
Attorney of the Griffin
Judicial Circuit which
includes Pike, Spald
ing, Upson and Fayette
counties.
Early voting started
Jan. 19 and will con
tinue on week days
through Feb. 5 from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at
the elections office in
Zebulon on Jackson
Street. Citizens may
also cast their ballots
from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
on Election Day Tues
day, Feb. 9.
See VOTING page 2A
Deadline is
Jan. 31 for
YSP program
BY ASHLEY BILES
UGA Griffin
The University of
Georgia Young Scholars
Internship Program
(YSP) began on the
UGA Griffin Campus in
1989. It is an internship
program for high school
students interested in
agricultural, food and
environmental sciences.
Participants conduct
hands-on research
with world-renowned
scientists through the
UGA College of Agricul
tural and Environmental
Sciences. YSP is a paid
six-week summer intern
ship where students
are actively engaged in
research under the guid
ance of a faculty mentor.
The program will be
offered this summer to
students from Pike and
surrounding counties.
See UGA page 2A
COVID-19 claims another life
Confirmed C0V1D-19
cases in Pike decreased
slightly with one ad
ditional death as the
number of cases dropped
from 142 to 109 over the
past two weeks accord
ing to the Georgia Depart
ment of Public Health.
The number of deaths
has increased to 16 with
nine probable deaths
from the virus and a total
of 58 hospitalizations
since March.
The Pike County
Health Department
held a vaccine clinic
by appointment only
for Jan. 19 and will
announce future clin
ics as the vaccine
becomes available.
The Phase 1A
rollout includes
healthcare work
ers in clinical
settings, staff and
residents of long
term care facilities,
all law enforcement and
fire personnel and adults
65 and older (and care
givers as applica
ble). Citizens can
visit any county
to get the vaccine
and appointments
must be sched
uled from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday by
calling 762-888-8180.
/ To find out which
counties still have ap
pointments available,
go to district4health.org/
covid-19-vaccine/.
Upson Regional Medi
cal Center will offer free
COV1D-19 vaccines in
Barnesville at the Upson
Regional Medical Cen
ter Barnesville Medical
Office building at 100
Highway 18 west starting
Jan. 21. Appointments
must be made to get the
vaccine by calling 770-
872-5015.
As of the last update
at pike.kl2.ga.us, there
were 17 positive students
and 10 positive adults
with 120 quarantined
for close contact with
positive students and
11 quarantined for close
contact with adults with
the virus. Since March,
there have been a total
of 116 COV1D-19 positive
cases for students and 60
positive cases for adults
in the school system and
a total of 1,310 students
and 117 adults who
returned to school from
a positive result or from
quarantine.
SPECIAL PHOTOS
District 131 Rep. Beth Camp (center) holds the Bible she was sworn in with on the Capitol
steps with her daughter Meredith Camp (left) and husband Mark Camp (right).
Pike County's Beth Camp sworn in as
District 131 Representative for Georgia
Beth Camp speaks after
being sworn in as the District
131 Representative at the
state Capitol. She represents
citizens in Pike, Lamar and
Upson counties.
Pike County’s Beth
Camp was sworn in as
the District 131 Repre
sentative at the Georgia
Capitol on Monday, Jan.
11 when the state’s leg
islative session started.
The legislature will
adjourn on April 2.
“Being sworn in to
serve the great people of
Famar, Pike and Upson
counties was one of the
most powerful moments
in my life,” said Camp.
“It is my great honor to
represent the wonderful
people who sent me and
the citizens of Georgia.
Important work will take
place over the next sev
eral months.”
Due to COV1D-19
restrictions, groups of
45 legislators and one
person of their choice
were allowed in to swear
oaths to the Georgia and
U.S. Constitutions. Beth’s
husband Mark Camp was
present and her daugh
ter Meredith was able to
watch via television at
the Capitol.
GA Tech is conducting
surveillance COV1D-19
testing twice weekly for
all legislative members
and staff along with so
cial distancing and mask
being required in the
House Chamber.
Volunteers needed at
health department;
impact fee ratios change
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Pike County com
missioners heard from
county manager Bran
don Rogers at their Jan.
13 meeting that the Pike
County Health Depart
ment is seeking volun
teer workers to help in
the office.
“There is a tremen
dous outpouring of
people who want this
vaccination,” he said.
“Angela Farr, the nurse
at the health depart
ment, said
they are
in need
of volun
teers at
the office.
You don’t
have to be
a nurse or
have any medical ex
perience to help. They
need pretty much any
body willing to help.”
Those interested
in volunteering at the
health department can
find out more at dph.
georgia.gov/georgia-
responds. Rogers also
noted that every other
Tuesday the health
department offers free
testing for COV1D-19
with the next date for
testing set for Jan.
27. Those who would
like to receive a free
COV1D-19 test can call
770-567-8972.
Commissioners voted
to change the residen
tial and commercial
impact fee ratios during
the meeting. Impact
fees are one-time fees
charged to land devel
opers to help defray
the costs of expanding
capital facilities. The
fees themselves were
not changed but the
ways the funds will be
distributed to county
departments were
changed.
The new residen
tial impact fee ratios
reduced fees for the
Parks and Recreation
Authority from 43.69%
to 3.51% and increased
impact fees for roads
from 22.4% to 6.44% and
for the jail from 12.01%
to 35.77%. The new
residential impact fee
ratios are 8.44% for the
sheriff’s office, 35.7%
for the jail,
14.58% for the
fire department,
8.82% for E-911,
22.4% for roads,
3.51% for Parks
and Recreation
and 6.48% for
the public
library. The old residen
tial impact fees gave
7.1% to the sheriff’s
office, 12.01% to the jail,
16.42% to the fire de
partment, 1.1% to E-911,
6.44% to roads, 43.69%
to Pike County Parks
and Recreation, 13.24%
to the J. Joel Edwards
Public Fibrary, 3% to ad
ministration and 2.31%
to C1E preparation.
The commercial
impact fee ratios were
changed by commis
sioners as well. The
new commercial impact
fee schedule reduced
the fire department to
21.1% from 31.8% and
increased the jail from
23.3% to 32.73%. The
old commercial impact
fee schedule and the
newly approved sched
ule gives 0% of fees to
parks and recreation
and the library.
See IMPACT page 3A
IMPACT FEES
Tom Morton has served as attorney for 7 2 years
BY RACHEL McBANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Tom Morton is 98 years
old and has served as an
attorney for an incredible
72 years - including nearly
30 years as attorney for the
county and city governments
in Pike. In 1991, he became
a law partner in the law firm
of Crawford and Morton in
Zebulon. After his son Rob
ert F. Morton was admitted
to the practice of law, Tom
founded the law firm of Mor
ton & Morton Associates. In
addition, Tom became the
city attorney for Zebulon and
Meansville. He also served
as county attorney for Spald
ing County and Meriwether
County. Over the years, he
and Rob have served as
interim county manager
several times in Pike.
Tom was honored by the
Meansville City Council for
23 years of service recently.
“We do proclaim that
we are thankful to God for
having blessed us with
such a gracious and faithful
example of Christian witness
and public servant,” read the
proclamation approved by
council members in Means
ville. The award presented to
him said, “In honor of your
dedication and service to the
city of Meansville and Pike
County, your military service
during World War 11, serving
as city attorney for many
years, leading and serving
in numerous civic organiza
tions, being instrumental in
bringing the Nelson Memo
rial to Pike County and other
accomplishments which are
too numerous to be listed.”
In addition to helping the
county and cities of Pike
with legal, community and
development issues, Tom
is a leader in the area and
has been a member of many
different civic organizations
over the years, including the
Fions Club, Kiwanis Club,
Pike County Historical Soci
ety. He was named the first
ever Zebulon, GA, Citizen
of the Year in 2017 and was
presented with a key to the
city.
Tom was instrumental in
the creation of the Pike Fire
fighter’s Museum, Inc. which
includes several fire engines
as well as hundreds of items
from across the world, dat
ing back as far as the early
1800s and telling the his
tory of firefighting over the
centuries.
See MORTON page 3A
SPECIAL PHOTO
Tom Morton (seated) in his Zebulon office with his
son Rob and wife Sonya. He has served as an at
torney for a total of 72 years and 29 years in Pike.
