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Page 2 — Wednesday, September 22, 2010, TheTrue Citizen
Demolition at old Blakeney
campus begins next week
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
County and school workers
have begun the process of tear
ing down two buildings on the
old Blakeney Elementary School
campus.
The sixth grade annex and
band room are currently being
abated and demolition will likely
begin next week, according to
Burke County Public Schools
maintenance director Paul Will
iams.
Despite a previous disagree
ment over what arm of the local
government should be respon
sible for the buildings, which had
fallen into disrepair after years
of vacancy, the school system
and Burke County Board of
Commissioners reached an
agreement to share the costs and
labor.
The main concern among
commissioners had been their
involvement in removing haz
ardous materials from the build
ings, such as asbestos.
The Board of Education
agreed take on that portion of the
project and provide the county
with a certificate of abatement of
hazaixlous material. The BOE is
also paying for fuel used during
demolition and the disposal fee
for materials hauled to the land
fill, while county workers con
duct the demolition work.
The buildings are being torn
down to prepare for the opening
of the new Early Head Start pro
gram, which will provide care
for infants at the campus come
Oct. 1. A Head Start program,
which serves toddlers, is already
housed there. School officials
say removing the buildings will
improve the campus. The build
ings were often targets for van
dals and had not been used for a
number of years.
Shaw resolving issue with worker testing
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
The contractor for Plant
Vogtle’s units 3 and 4 has nearly
resolved an issue that surfaced
last week with federal testing
requirements for workers.
During a routine inspection of
training records, The Shaw
Group found that its sub-con
tractors had not thoroughly
completed appropriate Fitness
for Duty testing, according to
Southern Nuclear Operating
Company spokesperson Beth
Thomas. “The workers had re
ceived the appropriate training,
but they had not completed the
associated testing,” she said.
“Sixty-one workers were iden
tified as not having completed
the test.”
The 25-question, multiple
choice test is part of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission’s fit
ness for duty program. All but
two of the workers have taken
the test and returned to work and
the others are expected to be
back at work by the week’s end,
according to NRC spokesperson
Roger Hannah. He said Shaw
voluntarily reported the issue to
the NRC and has provided up
dates as it was rectified.
All work, including safety-
related backfill placement, at the
site continues and the issue will
not impact cost or schedule for
the new Vogtle units, according
to Thomas. The workers who
must still take the test have their
access to the site restricted un
til the testing is completed.
The issue is unrelated to a
situation Shaw identified in July
with its fitness for duty pro
gram. Work was halted for
about six weeks then because
some workers had taken a drug
and alcohol background ques
tionnaire verbally instead of in
writing. In both cases, Shaw
identified the issues and volun
tarily took action to resolve
them without intervention from
the NRC. After the current situ
ation is resolved, the NRC will
follow up to ensure that all re
quirements have been met.
Enrollment in schools shrinks slightly
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
Burke County’s anticipated
growth due to expansion at
Plant Vogtle apparently hasn’t
hit the school system yet.
Enrollment numbers re
leased by Burke County Pub
lic School last week show a
slight decrease in enrollment
this year.
The school system has 4,580
students enrolled in pre-kin
dergarten though 12 th grade
this fall compared to 4,629 last
year.
While there are more stu
dents enrolled in the primary,
elementary and middle schools
this year, there are about 100
fewer high school students in
the system.
All of the county’s 295 pre-
K slots are filled and there are
around 25 students on a wait
ing list. However, school offi
cials say most of those students
should be accommodated in
the next few months as others
transfer out of the system, due
to address changes or other cir
cumstances.
Florida Fish & Wildlife officials tour Di-Lane
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
They talked about gators, and
they talked about bird dogs.
Nine senior members from
Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Con
servation Commission toured Di-
Lane Plantation and talked shop
with their counterparts from the
Georgia Department of Natural
Resources
“It’s great when you can put
people together and let them de
velop their own relationships,”
said Florida commission chair
Rodney Barreto who hosted the
Sunshine-State group at his Burke
County property, Silver Oak
Lodge. “They loved it.”
Included in the group was each
of the five directors who oversee
Florida’s five regions.
The Georgia and Florida rang
ers swapped ideas on everything
from state laws to quota hunts and
sportsmen-based tourism. Several
of the Florida officials plan to
make a return trip when wildlife
Florida Fish and Wildlife director Dennis David (Northeastern region) takes a photo at the bird dog
cemetery as Louie Roberson, Northwestern director, looks on. In the background, from left, are
assistant executive director Greg Holder, Southern director Chuck Collins and chairman Rodney
Baretto.
biologists at Di-Lane begin then “Florida sportsmen go to Geor- pointing out the benefits of the
upcoming quail habitat restoration gia to hunt, and Georgia sportsmen mutual relationship. “There’s good
project. go to Florida to fish,” Barreto said, synergy.”
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Medical community promotes
Breast Cancer Awareness
Bird Dog shirts to aid breast cancer patients
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
The local medical community is prepar
ing to celebrte Breast Cancer Awareness
Month in October.
The Burke County Health Department, in
cooperation with Dr. Mark Gresham, is sell
ing specially-designed t-shirts and asking
supporters to wear them each Friday in Oc
tober. Business owners are also being asked
to hang pink ribbons, available at local flo
rists, on their doors.
The t-shirts feature a bird dog and the slo
gan, “Continuing in the ‘Hunt’ for a Cure.”
All proceeds will go to Indigent Breast
Health Services, and each person will re
ceive a receipt for a 100 percent tax de
ductible donation, according to health de
partment nurse manager Gina Richardson.
Burke Medical Center will also encour
age women to get their annual
mammograms next month.
They will offer extended hours, 7 a.m.-7
p.m., on Oct. 12 and 13 for mammograms.
“We have so many patients who say they
can’t come because they can’t get off
work,” radiography manager Tammy Salter
said. “This way, before work or after they
get off, they can come by.”
Women interested in getting a mammo
gram that day are asked to call for an ap
pointment and obtain orders from their doc
tors.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
To order a t-shirt, contact Richardson at
706-554-3456 or Amy Sasser or Sara Burke
of Dr. Gresham’s office at 706-437-0770.
Two designs are available and shirts
come in grey or pink . Prices are $11 for
short sleeve and $13 for long sleeve. Youth
and adult sizes are available. The deadline
to order is Sept. 24 at 11:30 a.m.
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