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Page 2 — Wednesday, October 20, 2010, The True Citizen
Open house to offer
information on SPLOST III
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
Voters who want to know
more about how SPLOST III
revenue would be spent if the
referendum passes have their
chance next week.
The Burke County Chamber
of Commerce will host a
SPLOST III Information Open
House 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Oct.
25, at the Citizens Park Gym.
Burke County departments as
well as municipalities in the
county will be on hand to
present how they plan to spend
their portions of the proposed
one-cent sales tax, according to
Chamber Executive Director
Ashley Roberts.
“The Chamber is hosting this
open house because we feel it is
important to provide a forum for
the public to learn more about
the proposed projects,” she said.
“We hope that voters will gain a
better understanding of the im
portance of SPLOST and the in
dividual projects that are on the
ballot.”
Those who attend will see in
formation on all of the proposed
projects and can ask local lead
ership about why they are
needed.
Roberts said this is designed
to help voters make an informed
decision on whether or not to
vote for the renewal of SPLOST
when they head to the polls Nov.
2.
SPLOST II is expected to end
late this year or early 2011, and
approval of SPLOST III would
continue the one-cent sales tax.
Officials have estimated that
about $56 million could be col
lected if SPLOST III is ap
proved, thanks in part to a big
boost during the construction
phase of Plant Vogtle units 3 and
4.
Early voting numbers low in Burke
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
If early voting numbers are
any indication, turnout could be
low for the Nov. 2 election.
As of early Tuesday after
noon, only 820 Burke County
residents had taken advantage of
advance voting in the General
Election, which includes more
than a dozen state races, from
Governor to Commissioner of
Agriculture, as well as three lo
cal school board races and the
SPLOST III referendum.
In the November 2008 elec
tion, nearly 40 percent of the
12,812 votes cast in Burke
County were by absentee bal
lots.
“I’m looking for it to pick up
in the next two weeks,” said Bar
bara Hammett, executive direc
tor of the Board of Elections and
Registration. Early voting will
continue, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., week
days through Friday, Oct. 29 on
the first floor of the Burke
County Court House. No reason
is needed to vote in advance, but
residents are reminded to bring
along a photo ID.
October 29 is also the last day
to request a ballot be sent via
mail. Voters should contact the
Board of Elections and Regis
tration at 706-554-7457 to make
a request.
Regular voting will take place
7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov.
2 at all polling locations for
Burke County’s 15 precincts.
NEXT WEEK
Check out next Wednesday’s
True Citizen for a Q&A with all
six school board nominees.
CHECK OUT YOUR BALLOT
To view the ballot for your
precinct, go to Burke County’s
website at
www. bu rkecou nty-ga. gov
County sheds erosion control permitting duties
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
The county is out of the ero
sion control permitting busi
ness.
For several years, Burke
County has been the local is
suing authority for erosion
and sedimentation control
permits. The permits are re
quired by the state when de
velopment calls for land dis
turbances of more than one
acre.
Burke County Commission
ers voted last week to relin
quish the county’s issuing au
thority and turn that job over
to Georgia’s Environmental
Protection Division, which
manages the permits for many
counties around the state.
They did so at the request of
the Burke County Planning
Commission, which handled
the permits locally.
Burke County Building Of
ficial Scott Lee said the
county averages about a half
dozen each year, mostly for
commercial projects or subdi
visions. Lately, some RV
parks have needed the per
mits, and Lee said requests
could increase as activity
picks up along River Road.
Planning Commission
chairman Lee Webster told
commissioners the county
didn’t have the resources to
continue the permitting.
“We just don’t feel like at
this time we have the staff to
devote to this,” he said. "We
are seeing more and more of
these permits that need atten
tion.”
Though issuing the permits
has not typically been a prob
lem, the county was also ex
pected to monitor and inspect
the sites to ensure they met
the requirements set forth in
the erosion and sedimentation
control plans approved for
them.
County Commission Chair
man Wayne Crockett rea
soned that the county was not
obligated to handle state man
dates.
“It’s their regulation, let
them police it,” he said.
“That’s the main point.”
County administrator Merv
Waldrop said some in the de
velopment community may
disagree with the move, be
cause local officials are typi
cally more accommodating
than the EPD.
Lee said he does not expect
developers to see delays in
permit approvals as the duties
are turned over to the EPD,
but the process may be more
time consuming if there are
problems meeting the require
ments of the permits.
He added that commission
ers could vote at any time to
take the county’s permitting
powers back.
Burke pilot honored as
2010 Aviator of the Year
Doug Rhodes of Burke County received the 2010
Aviator of the Year award last weekend in Augusta
after being selected by the Boshears SkyFest Com
mittee for the annual honor. Rhodes has been involved
in aviation for more than two decades and was a
founding member of the Boshears SkyFest Execu
tive Board. He picked up his passion for flying from
his father and uncle, both longtime pilots, and never
let it go. Rhodes often lands his plane, pictured with
him above, on the grass runway on his Burke County
property.
Sisters of
Unity Retreat
The mol hers and sisters of Augusta and
Girard True Churches of God in Chrisl, Inc,
are planning lo host Lhe Annual Sisters of
Unity Relrea!.
The two-day celebration is scheduled to be
held al the Belair Conference Cenler in
Columbia County. October 29th and October
30th T 2010.
Mothers and sisLers of churches, throughout
Georgia. IMorEh Carolina and Tennessee are
scheduled lo be in attendance. This year's
theme is ‘’Always Sisters, forever
Friends: Empowering Each Other With
Love, Respect and Hon or”.
County abandons road against developer’s wishes
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
Francis Avenue is officially
a county road no more.
It actually never was. ac
cording to Burke County Ad
ministrator Merv Waldrop.
A developer who hopes to
sell dozens of lots along the
stretch begs to differ and
wanted the county to provide
maintenance along Francis
Avenue, which is located off
Bates Road about 1.7 miles
out of town.
Burke County Commission
ers received a request from
Otis Askin and his company
Tiger, Inc. for the county to
maintain Francis Avenue, but
opted instead to pass a reso
lution abandoning it.
According to the resolution,
“the Board of Commissioners
of Burke County does not be
lieve that the County owns
any interest in an unopened
road that was to be known as
Francis Avenue.”
Attorney Thomas Burnside
III presented arguments on
behalf of developer Askin and
Tiger, Inc. at a public hearing
last week.
“These are roads that were
professionally built... I think
the only logical conclusion is
that they are county roads,”
Burnside told commissioners.
“The roads themselves show
signs of consistent use. It’s
pretty clear that Francis Av
enue is still being used and
it’s still serving a public pur
pose.”
Burnside said the road was
built and dedicated by the
county in the 1960s.
Askin, who has owned his
Francis Avenue property since
2006, submitted a plat last
year that showed additional
lots along the road he planned
to market. He said more of
those would sell and con
struction would be underway
if the county maintained the
road.
Waldrop said the problem
with that plan is that the
county did not build and
never maintained the road as
far as local officials can tell.
“It has obviously not been
maintained through the
years,” Waldrop said. “No
body uses the road. It’s not
serving a public purpose. It’s
platted but it doesn’t exist. It’s
not on any county road maps
as part of the county road sys
tem.”
Waldrop said there are plats
of subdivisions across the
county but such plans don’t
require the county to build
and maintain roads for those
properties and their develop
ers.
Though abandonment
seems to indicate that Francis
Avenue was once a county
road, Waldrop said this action
was simply prompted by the
request to maintain it so own
ership would be clear.
“Abandoning it, despite not
having ownership, clears up
the title for them,” he said.
The resolution to abandon
Francis Avenue was passed
unanimously by commission
ers Wayne Crockett, Allen
DeLaigle, Fucious Abrams
and Henry Tinley. Alphonso
Andrews was absent due to
illness.
(Pictured From left tu rigid) Mother HozetJe Jeffries,
General Mother; Mother Uaudetie Boyrt, Assisi an
General Mother; Mother Velma Homes, President;
and Si sler Barbara Jones. Pastor’s wife of Agnsla and
Girard.
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Staff - Anne Marie Kyzer