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DOT URGES SAFETY FIRST
"Students head back to school"
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Vol. 136, No. 24 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - $1.00
No approval
for purchase
of generator
By: Michaela Carter
mcarter.truecitizen@gmail.com
With Mayor Pauline Jen
kins and council members Bill
Tinley and Willie Williams
absent, Waynesboro City Coun
cil was unable to finalize the
acquisition of a generator that
would provide the city emer
gency power in case of a severe
storm. The City of Waynesboro
has received a $200,000 grant
that originated from the Fed
eral Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and passed
on to the Georgia Emergency
Management Agency (GEMA).
It would assist in providing the
city with a portable natural gas
generator. The generator can
be moved from any well site
on a tractor trailer. Due to its
devastating effect on the city's
electricity supply, the 2014 ice
storm demonstrated the need for
a generator of this capability.
That storm is the reason the city
qualified for the grant.
During the meeting. City
Administrator Jerry Coalson
outlined information regard
ing bids from several vendors.
“What we’re bidding out is for
them to provide us with two
non-automatic transfer switch
es, which basically switches you
from line power to the genera
tor,” said Coalson.
With council authorization
needed before purchasing the
equipment, council member
Dick Byne made a motion to
accept the lowest bid, but coun
cil members Brenda Lewis and
Alberta Anderson both refused
to second it. Anderson urged
"holding off on the decision
until all of the council mem
bers are present to vote on it."
Vice Mayor Herman Brown
expressed his concern for pro
longing this vote by saying, “We
need to be prepared. As far as
bad weather and disasters, our
time is coming.”
Clearly frustrated with the
lack of action, Coalson asked
the council if they "wanted to
return the $200,000." He also
informed the council that even
if the generator was ordered the
next day, it would take five to
six months for it to be installed.
We need to be prepared. As
far as bad weather and disas
ters, our time is coming.
Vice Mayor Herman Brown
At about 6 p.m. Monday, August 1, the Waynesboro Fire Dept responded to 204 5th St across from the City Park after a fire
was reported by a neighbor. Luis Valle, who lives in an apartment next to the house, got his children out and called 911. The
home is owned by Josh Blackstone, and has been vacant for a number of months. Deputy fire Chief Robert Parrish said
Tuesday that there was heavy fire damage to parts of the interior of the house, including the attic, as well as heat and smoke
damage to the rest of the structure. He said the cause of the fire is currently unknown and under investigation.
Burke County’s Need for Foster Parents
By: Michaela Carter
mcarter.truecitizen@gmail.com
Burke County’s Department
of Family and Children Services
would like to add more foster
parents to their roster to care for
children of all ages. Currently,
there is a greater need for par
ents to be matched with preteens
to teens around the age of 17.
Phyllis Mozee, DFCS’s first Af
rican American County Director
for Burke County, says, “We
really need some foster parents
that are called to do this.”
There is a process that each
candidate is required to go
through before becoming a
foster parent. That can take up
to 30 days. Each candidate has
to agree to a home evaluation,
criminal background check,
drug screening, finance check,
and a few other steps that DFCS
uses to ensure a candidate is fit
to become a foster parent. They
strive to make the first place
ment the best placement for
each child. “Caring for a child
is a full package. A lot of people
get into this thinking that if they
just love the child enough, then
their behavior will change, but
it has to be a full package,” said
Mozee.
Once a child is placed with
a foster parent, DFCS ensures
that each child will be visited
every month and the foster par
ents are periodically updated on
safety precautions for the child.
Home assessments are done
monthly to make sure the child
is in a safe environment. Once a
person becomes a foster parent,
they will be trained extensively
for this role and will be pro
vided with continuous support
throughout the child’s time in
their care. Mozee says that the
goal is to "establish permanency
for every child that comes into
foster care.”
If anyone is interested in be
coming a foster parent, contact
800-210-5437 to receive more
info on attending an orientation.
If you are interested in work
ing with foster kids, but do not
want to serve as a foster parent,
you can join their volunteer
program. Volunteer candidates
have to go through the same
evaluation process as the foster
parents. To begin this process.
Phyllis Mozee
contact the County Director
for the county that you wish to
volunteer in. For those in Burke
County, you can contact (706)
554-7751 for more information
on this program.
BRIDGE on the
By: Michaela Carter
Mcarter.truecitizen@gmail.com
BRIDGE (Building Respon
sible Individuals Developing
Great Examples) has been on
the move this summer! They
were given the opportunity to
take two trips to the Georgia
State Capitol, on June 22 and
July 25. The youth and young
adults acted as Senators on both
days by participating in a Mock
Bill Passing during the "A Day
at the Capitol" events.
During their visit on July
25, State Reprehensive Gloria
Frazier met with the BRIDGE
group. She distributed books
and treated them to lunch. “She
went above her duties and job
description as State Representa
tive. BRIDGE is forever grateful
for Representative Gloria Fra
zier for her royal hospitality and
open invitation to come back to
the Georgia State Capitol during
the session,” said Kenya Sul
livan, BRIDGE representative.
On behalf of BRIDGE, Sul
livan also thanked Senator Jesse
Stone and his Administrative
Assistant, Mrs. Donna Yeomans
“for making it possible for
BRIDGE to have a hands-on
experience of the work that our
Senator does for the constituents
of District 23.” This initiative
was a part of BRIDGE Kids N
Politics (BRIDGING the Gap
between Retired Leaders &
Future Leaders) Future Leaders
N Training.
On Jufy 27, BRIDGE was
Move!
given the chance to participate
in a Plant Tour at Textron Spe
cialized Vehicles/E-Z-GO. The
group toured two sites of Tex
tron and was given a rain check
to tour the other buildings. Sul
livan thanked Jason Alford, Vice
President of Integrated Supply
Chain; Heather Meyers, Plant
Manager; and Justin Bowen,
Operations Manager for the
experience.
BRIDGE also has a new part
nership with Textron and the
Richmond County Board of Ed
ucation that deals directly with
the RPM Program which “is
geared toward at-risk students
that are in danger of failing and
fallen behind in their credits.”
Sullivan added, “BRIDGE
would like to thank Senator
Jesse Stone, Mrs. Donna Yeo- Gloria Frazier, Jason Alfords our summer trips possible.”
mans, State Representative and Heather Meyers for making
APR FINANCING