Newspaper Page Text
Page 8A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Molena discusses accepting budget with no millage increase
BY DWAIN W. PENN
dwain@pikecountygeorgia.com
With approximately
seven weeks remaining in
2021, the Pike County Tax
Commissioner’s office
has been creating proper
ty tax bills for municipali
ties as millage rates are
set and submitted. Due
to the early October 4
meeting of Molena coun
cil they had not received
the tax digest from the
county in time to set the
current millage rate.
The digest arrived
a few days later. The
county has contacted
Molena since urging the
rate be set and submitted
for processing. A dead
line of November 30 was
given to insure tax bills
in December.
Comfortable with the
feasibility of submitting
the millage rate prior
to the deadline, Molena
mayor Joyce Corley led
discussion at the No
vember 8 meeting and
scheduled a workshop to
adopt the new budgets
and set the millage rate.
The session was held
at city hall on Monday,
November 22 at 6 p.m.
A special called meeting
was conducted at 6:45
p.m. It was anticipated
the millage rate would be
the same as the 2020 rate
of 8 mils.
COUNCIL ALSO:
• Heard a preview
from Williamson council
man Tom Brown of the
county-wide bag toss
challenge fundraiser to
be held November 13 in
Williamson.
• Approved a per
manent variance for a
well on city property on
Watson Street.
• Approved permission
for a BJ Court resident to
have a camper as tempo
rary housing while a house
is under construction.
• Heard the city will
soon have 16 internet
customers. A recent
application for a Three
Rivers grant, if approved,
will help the city with in
ternet service expenses.
• Learned paperwork
has been signed for OPB
funds for police chief
Matt Polk.
• Approved, based on
a quote, to spend up to
$4,000 for a fire depart
ment door.
SPECIAL PHOTO
Pike County Sheriffs Officers arrested a Tennessee man who was wanted on a federal warrant after allegedly pointing a hand
gun at an ATF agent during a road rage incident in Tennessee. He was taken into custody without incident in Williamson.
Man wanted on federal
warrant arrested in
Wiliamson by PCSO
A Tennesse man want
ed for a federal warrant
was arrested by the Pike
County Sheriff’s Office on
Nov. 18 after the sher
iff’s office was advised
that Robert Alston, 44,
of Jackson, Tennesee,
was possibly in the Pike
area and was wanted by
authorities.
Local officers were
alerted that Alston alleg
edly pointed a handgun
at an ATF agent during
a road rage incident in
Tennessee. Alston, driv
ing an early 2000s Toyota
pickup truck, was seen in
Pike County and deputies
stopped him near a Wil
liamson home where he
was taken into custody
without incident.
A handgun was found
in the vehicle and it will
be turned over to the ATF
as it could possibly have
been involved in a crime
in Tennessee.
Alston was in the
Pike County Jail and was
awaiting extradition to
Tennessee.
Meansville council hears fire
department, vandalization update
BY DWAIN W. PENN
dwain@pikecountygeorgia.com
The November 8
meeting of Meansville
council was brief. Only
two council members
were absent this month
for a legal quorum to
accomplish necessary
business. Recent events
involving the volunteer
fire department were
discussed.
“Department person
nel and participating
firefighters thank the
city for allowing the
use of city hall meet
ing room for training
classes,” said assistant
fire chief Tim Lane. “We
received a new recruit
and another volunteer
has passed all tests for
certification.”
“The station recently
had electrical problems.
The main breaker mal
functioned and had to
be replaced. In other
business, the depart
ment responded during
October to one fire and
three medical calls in the
city and eight fire and 15
medical mutual-aid calls
in the county.”
Later in the meeting,
city clerk Jerome Finley
said someone attempted
to break into the fire
department and though
was unable to enter the
facility did cause damage
to the exterior which will
be repaired.
COUNCIL ALSO:
• Heard from Finley
the new budgets will
be ready next week for
council review in time for
approval in December.
• Learned the city was
approved for the $1.4 mil
lion GEFA grant through
representative Beth
Camp’s internet post.
• Heard the city will
combine several re
sources to pay for the
grant including SPLOST,
ARPA and a portion of
the potential $600,000 in
state funds.
• Heard a court date
was set to deliberate the
fate of several individu
als guilty of vandalizing
the city park recently.
One adult has previous
incidences and a juvenile
may be sent to the youth
detention center. The city
did not press charges but
the event was considered
a crime against the state.
Rosemary Beck of Williamson is
member of Honors Program at UNG
Rosemary Beck of Wil
liamson is a member of
the Honors Program.
The Honors Program
on UNG’s Dahlonega
Campus began in 1995.
The program began on
the Gainesville campus
in 1998, with Honors
courses in English dating
back to 1985.
“It’s really amazing
that the program has
been producing notable
UNG alumni for 25 years,”
Dr. Royce Dansby-Sparks,
director of the Honors
Program in Dahlonega
since 2019, said.
While Honors Program
students make up less
than 2% of the nearly
20,000 student popula
tion, a high percentage of
them earn accolades at
UNG and beyond. Con
necting academically
motivated students with
each other to develop a
competitive and sup
portive community
is one segment of the
Honors Program. It also
is designed to enhance
students’ learning experi
ence through research
projects, volunteer ac
tivities, study abroad op
portunities, and national
scholarship applications.
Freshmen entering
this year’s program will
experience two new
facets. The first is the
redesigned introduction
honors course. The sec
ond is a formal mentor
ship program.
“College is a new
level of academics,”
Dr. Danielle Hartsfield,
assistant director of the
Dahlonega program, said.
“Many arrive at UNG with
advanced placement
credits or from an inter
national baccalaureate
program. But they are in
a new place with differ
ent expectations.”
To help the transition,
Hartsfield remodeled
the course to incorpo
rate two key elements:
research and service.
“In the past, students
selected a research topic
of their choosing,” the
associate professor of
elementary and special
education said. “This
year, we decided to
include a service compo
nent, and students will
connect their service to
their research.”
For example, students
may work at the food
pantry and research
hunger or food insecurity
among college students.
“In the Honors Pro
gram, we teach them
research skills to pre
pare them for graduate
school,” Hartsfield said.
“We want to teach them
about service as well,
which helps build a
sense of community.”
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Participants prepare to start a game during the Nov. 13 WilliowStrong Charity Cornhole
Tournament to support a local 4-year-old and her family as she battles cancer.
WillowStrong comhole tourney
supports 4-year-old, family
The WillowStrong
Charity Cornhold
Tournament was held
Nov. 13 to support
a Williamson family
as 4-year-old Willow
Crowe battles Langer-
hans cell histiocytosis.
“We would like to
thank everyone who
came out and took part
and all of our sponsors,
including Buckles &
Bows, the city of Wil
liamson, Coffee A Go
Go, GA BBQ, Crumbles
Bakery, Environmental
Remedies, Food Depot,
Kelly’s Konfections,
Looks Salon, Southern
Grace Hospice, United
Bank, Longhorn, Chick-
Fil-A, The Farmhouse in
Senoia, GA Sheri Hand,
Anita Nation, Mary Kay
with Danielle Washing
ton, 92.5 The Bear and
Rebekah Duncan,” said
Pam Brown.
i
C.IT-f
iC p^ *
GO
I LLOWSTRONGi
gsriwga*
,o'-£o^ South-EM SUSP- 1
GaX Hospice
i-Ai-,.
UNIT^ANL
r\tLLy s . , i
KONFEcnovs Lomnw
CHICK: re--A
l__OOMS -f-yg qiSTHeB&Kj
pJKE. COUNTY RcwspapefL _S£/f<2/A
Valley Concrete Company rezoning denied by county commissioners at Nov. 10 meeting
Dozens of citizens
attended the Nov. 10 com
mission meeting to speak
in favor of or against a
rezoning request to allow
for the operation of Pine
Valley Concrete Company
on Rawlins Road in Zebu-
Ion. Planning and devel
opment director Jeremy
Gilbert said the request
was to rezone 14.36 acres
of the 28.76 acre property
from A-R (Agriculture-
Residential) to M-2B
(Manufacturing-Heavy)
to allow for the operation
of a small concrete batch
plant. He said the appli
cant and owner request
ed a special exception
to allow for a temporary
concrete plant in July but
that was denied.
Those who spoke in
favor of the re-zoning
request during the public
hearing included Ben
Vaughn, Dusty Turner,
Charlton Boyt, Trisha Ann
Boyt and Beverly Martin.
Those who spoke in op
position to the rezoning
request included Harvey
Booker, Patricia Beckham
and Virginia Terry.
Commissioners voted
unanimously to deny
the request, with com
missioner Jason Proctor
noting that the reason for
denial is that the plant is
located in a predominant
ly residential area and is
in violation of the zoning
code. He said the con
crete plant was construct
ed without proper zoning
approval or permits.
THE COUNTY ALSO:
• Heard from county
attorney Rob Morton re
garding outside counsel
regarding the National
Opioid Settlements and
approved a resolution to
adhere to the Memoran
dum of Understanding
and appoint the county
manager as the represen
tative for the county.
• Approved the 2022
board of commissioners
monthly meeting sched
ule and the 2021 county
holiday schedule.
• Approved renewal
of an alcohol license for
retail sales of beer and
wine for Jason Mask of
Frank’s Filling Station in
Concord and for Saiful-
lah Bhamani of The Rock
Store in Meansville.
• Issued an alcohol
license for retail sales of
beer for Marcus Kyzer
of 3K Enterprises Inc. in
Zebulon.
• Approved extending
library board terms for
Cynthia Rawlins for one
year to expire Dec. 31,
2023 and two years for Joy
Walker to expire Dec. 31,
2024 to keep the board on
a rotating schedule and
keep a maximum of no
more than three members
with terms expiring in one
calendar year.
• Denied an appeals
application refund of
$200. It was noted the
matter was heard at the
board of appeals and it
was determined there
was no appealable ac
tion and the appeal was
dismissed.
• Accepted the Delin
quency Prevention Grant
which was a grant the
Juvenile Court received
last year but did not use
the funding.
• Held an executive,
closed session to discuss
two personnel and poten
tial litigation, but recon
vened to take no action
other than dismissal.
• Held a public hear
ing and approved a
transmittal resolution for
the county to send their
Capital Improvements
Element (CIE) Annual
Update to the Georgia
Development Impact Fee
Act and the Development
Impact Fee Compliance
Requirements of the
Georgia Department of
Community Affairs.