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Vol. 141, No. 24 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - $1.00
COVID likely claimed young Sardis woman
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
COVID-19 is the suspected cause
of death of 32-year-old Emily Rob
inson Oglesby, found dead in her
Sardis home August 1.
Emily’s sister, Ginger Bridgers,
said their concern for the lack of
research kept Emily and her 56-year-
old husband, Bobby Oglesby, from
receiving the vaccine. Bobby tested
positive July 22, and is currently
hospitalized in Augusta with the
virus, Bridgers said.
“I was diagnosed with COVID
January 18,” she said. “I nearly
died from COVID. My brother got
COVID and he nearly died from
COVID. But I just can’t wrap my
head around putting something in my
body that they really have no clue. If
it is a cure, that is one thing, but you
don’t know what’s in that thing, and
(they) felt the same way.”
Emily was never officially tested
for COVID-19 but began exhibiting
symptoms a few days after it was
confirmed her husband was COVID
positive, Bridgers said. Emily called
her sister July 28 and disclosed to
her that she was suffering from loss
of vision and numbness. Paramedics
determined her blood pressure was
low and advised her to seek medical
treatment.
“Bobby drove her to the hospital
and sat in the car and waited on her,”
Bridgers said. “I know that she sat in
the car and she called (the hospital)
twice for them to bring
& SEE
her a wheelchair because
she could not walk be- COVID,
cause she would pass 5
Emily Robinson Oglesby
School Counselor Robert Floyd welcomes Blakeney Elementary
students back to school August 3.
The State of Georgia currently allows people to reside in tiny homes that
are either site-built or made from modular industrialized buildings. Burke
County allows tiny houses as long as they meet state standards.
Planning Commission
finally budges on tiny houses
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Director Scott Lee successfully
persuaded the Planning Commis
sioners July 27 to consider looking
at how the county can regulate the
conversion of storage sheds into tiny
house units.
Lee and Building Inspector Lynn
Chance pointed out that people are
already living in storage buildings
converted into small homes in mul
tiple locations throughout Burke
County. This is not the first time Lee
has asked the panel to consider what
other counties recognize as a viable
response to the housing shortage and
a solution to homelessness.
The State of Georgia currently
allows people to reside in tiny
homes that are either site-built or
made from modular industrialized
buildings. Burke County allows tiny
houses as long as they meet state
standards. According to Lee, there is
a significant issue in the county with
people buying storage sheds that do
not meet state standards, with the
intention of living in them. There is
also an increased interest in living
in tiny homes.
The tiny house movement is possi
bly moving faster than local officials
are changing zoning regulations and
building codes. The outside-the-box
option is a popular way for lower-
income Georgians to realize their
dream of owning a home. It is also
gaining popularity with local govern
ment officials around the state.
Decatur County adopted a Unified
Development Ordinance in 2014 that
does not require an accessory dwell
ing unit (ADU) to
possess minimum SEE
square footage. At- TINY HOUSES,
lanta allows ADUs 12
Time moves forward, leaves city’s wastewater plant behind
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Editor’s note: Shellie Smitley
toured Waynesboro’s wastewater
treatment plant July 27 in order to
gain a better understanding of the
challenges the city faces. Present
during the tour were, Public Works
Director Jody Ellison, Project Man
ager Chris Morton and Assistant City
Manager Trinetta Skinner.
Waynesboro officials are looking
at the options of how to deal with a
wastewater treatment plant that is
stuck in the past.
Mechanical failures are common
along with the expected wear-
and-tear occurrences. The issue is
maintaining an obsolete system and
providing for future increased efflu
ent needs associated with growth.
Morton has been overseeing op
erations of the city’s plant since
January 2020. He brought up the
issue of part replacement during last
month’s Utilities Committee meet
ing. The city purchased the current
system from Schreiber decades ago
and the company has since sold out
to Parkson Corporation.
“It’s not just the name of a com
pany, it is an operational system,”
Morton pointed out about the Sch
reiber system during the tour.
Three-to-four months ago, storms,
consisting of an inch of rain, caused
the flow to increase to unacceptable
levels as low-laying lines caused
water to gravitate and go straight
into the system. If the problem had
not been solved, another breakdown
that occurred soon after would have
caused mass flooding.
One of the drive motors on a
bridge, which is no longer manu
factured, broke down and the city is
struggling to find another. The plant
may need not just a motor but might
also need to replace the entire drive
system, including the gear box, just
to be able to match up any newly
purchased parts.
A motor that cost more than $ 1,200
was bought after it was recommend
ed by Parkson, but it didn’t match up
in size. Morton had to improvise and
use another assembly off of another
bridge, since receiving parts involves
a 3-4 week wait due to pandemic-
related shortages and backorders.
Even ordering a new gear box could
consist of a 12-14 week wait.
“The system was built in 1990,”
Ellison pointed out. “A lot of things
have changed since then. They make
(the parts) you just have to pay a
lot more for them now. You have
to buy the whole
package - a lot of SEE
retro-fitting. You WASTEWATER
have to adapt it to 11
The True Citizen’s Shellie Smitley interviews Public Works Director Jody
Ellison during a tour July 27 of the city’s Wastewater treatment facility.
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