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Vol. 141, No. 9 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, April 21,2021 - $1.00
Burke County retains Fleming as attorney
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
After a contentious evening
April 13, Rep. B arry Fleming
retained his job as Burke
County attorney.
Before the monthly
Burke County County
Commission meeting, a
crowd of approximately 80
protesters gathered on the
corner of Liberty and 6th
Streets to voice their opinion
that Fleming should be bred
as county attorney after
sponsoring a bill that some
believe restricts voting.
Local television stations
interviewed Michael Searles
of the Burke County Voter
Project. Searles voiced his
concern about a part of the
legislation that gives the
General Assembly the right to
dissolve local election boards.
Groups like The People's
Agenda and a local Masonic
Lodge joined in support of
the crowd holding signs
asking for Fleming's removal.
The crowd moved from the
street to inside the historic
courthouse, creating a
standing- room-only scene
during the Commissioners’
meeting.
Officers from the Sheriffs
Department checked people
entering the building.
Fleming addressed
the Commissioners first,
justifying the timing of Senate
Bill 202 and the contents that
address handing out water and
food to voters. Fie defended
the changes to early voting.
Fie claimed that previous
voting laws left it open to
counties to decide if voting
took place on the weekends.
Fleming said provisions are
provided for people who do
not possess a driver's license
and wish to vote by absentee
ballot.
Shatoria Rackins addressed
the commission ggg
and said a FLEMING
petition with 542
(left to right) Margaret Young, Waynesboro, Ruby Carter,
Girard, and Teresa Way, Waynesboro stand outside the
historic courthouse April 13 asking Commissioners to fire
Barry Fleming as county attorney.
DIANA ROYAL • jdianaroyal@gmail.com
Three seniors have been selected to represent their high
schools as the 2020-2021 STAR students.
Those receiving the prestigious distinction include Burke
County Fligh School’s Brooke Cliatt, Edmund Burke
Academy’s Brandon Fu and Faith Christian Academy’s Cobb
Flollings worth.
Fu has also been declared as the countywide winner.
Due to the pandemic, the annual awards banquet will not
be held this year, but according to Waynesboro Exchange
Club Secretary Dominee Jackson, the trio, along with their
STAR teachers, will still be presented with plaques for the
achievement.
Recipients of the STAR student award must meet certain
criteria to be selected for the honor. They not only hold the
highest SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) score at their
respective schools, but they must also be academically
performing in the top 10 percent of their class.
Two of this year’s STAR teachers are first time recipients
of the special honor: Cliatt chose Tracy Dozier, and
Hollingsworth chose FCA’s Natalie Almy. At EBA, Karen
Reeves was picked by Fu, adding the 15th selection for the
beloved teacher.
Brooke Cliatt and Tracy Dozier
BURKE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
STAR student name: Brooke Cliatt
Hometown: Waynesboro
Parents: Joanie and Kenny Bame
College plans: I will be attending Belmont University as
a member of the Honors Program, where I will earn a BBA
in music business with a minor in sociology.
Where I see myself in five years: In five years, I will have
completed my undergraduate degree program and will be
finishing Belmont’s accelerated master’s program, in which
I will earn a Master of Business Administration.
In ten years: While I cannot plan exactly where I
will be ten years from now, I see myself occupying SEE
a role as an artist manager at a major record label STAR,
in Nashville. I hope to be supporting talented
Brandon Fu and Karen Reeves
Cobb Hollingsworth and Natalie Almy
Airport fuels up
for bright future
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Burke County Airport
continues to be a work in
progress.
The County Commissioners
unanimously voted April 13
to accept an amended task
order for Airport Consultant
MaesAwyr to utilize
$69,004.60 contributed by
the Georgia Department of
Transportation for property
acquisition that clears
obstructions around the aerial
facility.
That’s not all the DOT is
doing to upgrade the local
airport in the hopes that it
will contribute to economic
development, especially
during the Masters Golf
tournament.
“At one point we thought
we were going to have to
fund the fuel farm 100% at
the county’s expense and then
try to get reimbursed from the
FAA at a later date,” County
Manager Merv Waldrop said.
The DOT has agreed to use
some left-over funding from
the Taxiway Project and the
Airport Runway Extension
project.
“They are going to allow
us to amend that contract to
use $75,000 toward the fuel
farm,” Waldrop said. The
total cost of installing fuel at
the local airport is more than
$400,000.
The fuel service will be self-
serve, requiring no attendant
to be on duty.
“There is very little
maintenance on this system,”
Waldrop said and pointed out
to the Commissioners that
small local airports can make
money if they have fuel and
hangars.
“At this point it’s costing
us more than we are making
off of it,” Waldrop said of the
facility that currently contains
neither. “But if we put in a
little investment and the state
adds to it, it can work.”
He added that, “The state
has put in nearly $4 million
into our airport in the last
4 or 5 years. They believe
it is good for economic
development.”
T-SPLOST funds have also
contributed to the project.
The Commission also
unanimously voted to approve
L&T, Inc. to install the new
fueling system.
Public hearing addresses hospital’s future
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Burke County Hospital
Authority unanimously voted
to enter into a lease agreement
with Burke Hospital Company
in February but now it is the
public’s chance to weigh in.
A public hearing will take
place Monday April 26 at
noon in the Burke County
Office Park Auditorium at 715
West 6th Street. Comments
regarding the proposed
transaction may be submitted
in writing to the Georgia
Department of Law, Keisha F.
Green, Business and Finance
Section, 40 Capitol Square,
SW Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
If the deal is approved
by the Georgia Attorney
General’s Office, the new
group will begin running the
hospital June 1.
Burke Hospital Company
has agreed to retain all current
employees, according to past
discussions. The plan provides
that the hospital will not lose
any of its current services
while adding various surgical,
orthopedic and cardiovascular
procedures.
County Manager Merv
Waldrop said in February that
county taxpayers have spent
approximately $33 million to
keep the hospital afloat since
2015.
Hospital Chairman Chris
Collins has identified four
options for the ailing facility
including shutdown, sale,
continue with financial
instability or leasing it out.
Even if leased, the
commission will pay $22
million in subsidies over
the course of the first seven-
year term. Burke Hospital
Company will pay $240,000
in rent for the first two
years and $360,000 for the
remaining five years.
Burke Hospital Company,
LLC was registered June 25,
2020 as a domestic limited
liability company with the
address 29 Cardinal Road,
Savannah, Georgia, according
to GeorgiaCompanyRegistry.
com. The agent’s name for
the entity is listed as Michael
Kleinpeter.
The website ggg
lists Kleinpeter HOSPITAL
as the agent of
a number of
Michael Kleinpeter
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