Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A — Wednesday, October 27, 2010, TheTrue Citizen
This is why Mr. Larry Preston, Sr.
Few seek info on
SPLOST projects
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
In less than a week, Burke
County voters will decide whether
or not to continue a one-cent sales
tax to pump millions of dollars into
local projects.
Next Tuesday’s General Elec
tion ballot will include a referen
dum vote on SPLOST HI, which
county officials say has the poten
tial to bring in approximately $56
million over the next six years.
The money will be divided
among the county and its munici
palities to support building
projects, infrastructure improve
ments and equipment purchases.
The Burke County Chamber of
Commerce hosted an open house
Monday night to provide informa
tion about SPLOST III and the
projects that would be funded if
the renewal is approved. County
departments as well as the cities
of Waynesboro, Midville,
Keysville and Saul is set up dis
plays and offered information
about past SPLOST projects and
proposed initiatives. However,
fewer than a dozen residents took
advantage of the opportunity.
Chamber board members and
county officials are pushing hard
for the approval of SPLOST III
because of the added impact of the
expansion at Plant Vogtle, which
is set to add two new nuclear re
actors during the next six years.
Generally, a one-cent sales tax
over six years would generate
about $20 million in Burke
County, according to County Ad
ministrator Merv Waldrop. This
time around, the SPLOST from
Vogtle construction alone should
generate about $35 million and
bring the total to around $56 mil
lion.
“This is the time,” Waldrop said.
“Burke County can benefit from
the construction at Plant Vogde.”
Kaye Jones speaks with Burke County administrator Merv
Waldrop at the SPLOST Information Open House.
Already, the collection of the
current SPLOST has been sped
along by Plant Vogtle construction.
SPLOST II was scheduled to ex
pire in 2012, but could end as soon
as this December instead.
Ashley Roberts, executive di
rector of the chamber, said this is
a prime opportunity for Burke
County to benefit from some ma
jor sales tax revenue that won’t all
come out of residents’ pockets.
George Jones, one of the few
voters who attended the open
house, plans to support SPLOST
at the polls.
“This is the way to go,” he said.
“If we want to see our community
grow in a positive way, we need
SPLOST or something similar to
it. We need to have projects ben
efit the entire community, and I
believe that is what SPLOST is
designed to do.”
SPLOST III PROPOSED PROJECTS & ALLOCATIONS
$17 million Countywide Projects (judicial center, jail addition)
$24.18 million Burke County (new emergency operations/911
center, recreation improvements, building construction/
renovations, industrial park expansion, roads & bridges,
water & sewer improvements, firetrucks, ambulances,
patrol cars, etc.)
$10.14 million Waynesboro (water & sewer improvements,
improvements to roads, streets, sidewalks and
drainage, buildings, patrol vehicles and utility equipment)
$2.34 million Sardis (improvements to water, sewer and streets,
recreation and beautification projects, patrol vehicles
and utility equipment)
$1.17 million Midville (water and sewer improvements, street
improvements, police equipment, city hall equipment,
community house improvements)
$780,000 Keysville (water and sewer improvements, multipurpose
building project, street and drainage improvements)
$390,000 Girard (waterworks improvements, building renovations
and additions, street and sidewalk improvements)
Wants to be your
next School
Board Member of
District 2
L-hmj FfvpFpfi nnM Ml w>r«
Lihi iiia jhD i an Ljfrij Jr.
Dear Burke County.
Our students are our most precious asset.
I will place Fitiidnnls yl the Frjrg1r(?nl 0T ill W/ CifltlSiOrtV
i will always be available 1o li&tsn to your concerns and
welcornE your suggestions
I am commiHed to 1he success of Burke County.
I am a fiarout of a child who attends thu
Burke Counly School System
Our students deserve [he best
il's time For change!
That's my commitment to yon?
PltEJT Onward for Success!"
Elect Larry Preston, Si.
School Board Member District 2
November 2,2010
'an tortj the Candida
Loren and Renee Barnhart (left and center) pick out their new kitchen with Ferguson de
signer Terry Kromka (far right) and help from their kids Adrian, Preston and Ginger.
Barnharts win
dream kitchen
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
A Waynesboro family is get
ting the kitchen of their dreams.
Loren and Renee Barnhart
nailed the Lerguson Extreme
Kitchen contest and will reap
the rewards in quartz
countertops, ceramic tile floor
ing and cherry cabinets.
While they knew they were in
the running, last week’s official
phone call with the big news
still took them by surprise.
“I’m afraid I probably hurt his
eardrums.” Renee said.
The online contest spanned
two weeks and was decided by
popular vote. The Barnharts
were up against 236 other fami
lies in the CSRA, and managed
to get 4,200 of the 23.000-plus
votes logged onto the Lerguson
website.
The young couple got the
word out quickly through social
networking and emails, and en
listed the help of everyone they
knew, including an 80-some-
thing-year-old great-uncle and
friends as far away as Germany
and Romania.
“Lacebook was big.” Loren
said, noting they also kept the
votes rolling in by posting a se
ries of youtube.com videos star
ring their kids Adrian. Preston
and Ginger. “People picked it up
and ran with it... we need to thank
our friends a lot.”
Their new kitchen-do will be
worth up to $50,000, and work
is expected to begin inside their
Legion Drive home any day.
While Renee says she can’t
complain about her old kitchen,
she is thrilled to be saying
goodbye to her mismatched
cabinets and multi-layered lino
leum.
The kids are thrilled too. and
are still laughing about the way
their mom took the good news.
“Mommy was dancing
around and jumping up and
down,” 4-year-old Preston told
his big brother, who was in
school when the call came.
While a the big “Reveal Day”
won’t come until December,
Loren and Renee are hoping
their new kitchen will be com
plete a few weeks early so they
can host Thanksgiving dinner
for family arriving from Penn
sylvania.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
To watch an interview with Barnharts and
see their “before” kitchen, go to
www.extremekitchencontest.com/.
TRICK OR TREAT
ON LIBERTY STREET
l M \ Jj t j
IN DOWNTOWN WAYNBB0R0
OCTOBER 19, 2010 • TPM TO TPM
Come join us for
TRICK OR TREATING from 3-5pm
A COSTUME CONTEtt at 5:30pm
Contact intlud*, hi dk adUt* & you* four Ipggird family member*
S4fn up itarti art A SOpnn hot ta The Loekkii G&atih
Since Georgia plays Florida on the
Saturday we normally have
PUMPKIN PARTY IN THE PARK
we've decided to combine it with
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from 5-7pm at
BURKE PERK B
GOOD DAY CAFE
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