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Vol. 141, No. 27 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - $1.00
Local businesses feel the weight of labor shortages
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
A Facebook post last week for
Brown’s Quality Seafood read, “Due
to being understaffed we are no
longer taking phone orders for the
remainder of the day. We are sorry
for the inconvenience... and thanks
for understanding. We encourage
you to use our online ordering or
the Waitr app for delivery service.”
McDonalds’ Customer Service
Manager Sharon Cooper said the
local fast-food restaurant is facing
the same problem with staffing. They
are continuously having to keep the
lobby closed and service customers
through the drive-thru only. The
chain, known to offer college tuition
incentives, typically pays its employ
ees less than $ 15 per hour upon hire.
“We don’t have the staff,” Cooper
said and pointed out that many of the
teenaged employees it attracts refuse
to work weekends. “It’s mainly on
the weekends, because nobody wants
to work weekends. They feel like, I
guess, that they are supposed to have
every weekend off.”
Restaurants here and all over the
area are reporting the same problem.
It’s not just the fast-food industry
that is feeling the weight of the labor
shortage that many feel pandemic-
related closures and stimulus benefits
propelled.
As football season is right around
the corner the Burke County Recre
ation Department is seeking coaches,
referees, and chain crews with all
levels of experience in football.
Successful candidates must pass a
background check and be able to
understand and enforce rules fairly
and objectively, according to a recent
Facebook post. The Rec Department
utilizes volunteers for coaching posi
tions and rarely faces problems with
filling those positions.
“Our community is great about
helping us out,” Director Rolene
Rowell said. “We are so grateful and
blessed.”
However, keeping paid positions
filled is another issue.
“We do have problems finding
people to officiate our sports,” Row
ell said. “The pay is good. We’ve
found out that we can use one expe
rienced official and then train high
school athletes who play the sport.
This has worked out well, however
there is a lot of turn-over when those
officials graduate.”
The Rec Department has tried to
fill a main
tenance po- SEE
sition for LABOR SHORTAGES,
approxi- 14
General Manager Ryan Keller shows off a log-cabin style shed that could be used as a tiny home.
Local business sees tiny houses working in other counties
SHELLIE SMITLEY • thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Oakland Structures, Hwy 56 S., regularly receives
phone calls inquiring about the use of storage build
ings as tiny homes in Burke County.
“It’s been more and more prevalent,” General
Manager Ryan Keller said. “We do it in other coun
ties. Other counties have allowed it.”
Oakland Structures takes the shell with the
finished exterior and sets it up on a concrete and
block foundation and the customers finish them
under the supervision of inspectors. The buildings
are anchored down. Agencies in other counties like
Screven, Washington, Jefferson and Candler are
inspecting the buildings to make sure electrical and
plumbing meet code requirements.
“A lot of times, obviously, they tend to be larger
buildings,” Keller said. “I would say anywhere from
14 x 36 to 16 x 48, that is anywhere from 500 to 800
square feet. It makes a nice living space, it really
does, and I have seen them finished out really nice.”
Mainly, Oakland Structures constructs the buildings
to be sold through dealers, but they also sell onsite.
However, people in Burke County are not allowed to
utilize storage buildings as a place to live.
The buildings are constructed a lot like homes, Keller
said. They are framed and built with similar materials.
On average, the larger sheds sell for $20,000 to
$30,000, far less expensive than purchasing a home.
With 10% to 40% down payment, the buildings can be
bought on a rent-to-own basis over four years, eliminat
ing traditional 15 to 30 - year mortgages.
Oakland Structures built rows of tiny homes, situated
in Girard, to provide temporary housing primarily for
transient Vogtle workers. They meet state fire escape
and septic requirements. They were
built specifically to be tiny homes SEE
and not storage sheds, however there HOUSES
is not a lot of size difference between
13
the 1-bedroom units and the average
Mayor Carol Edmonds swore in Councilwoman Cile Campbell August 13,
Sardis prepares
for elections
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Sardis City Council appointed
its newest member to the panel Au
gust 13.
Mayor Carol Edmonds swore in
Cile Campbell to fill the seat vacated
by John Arthur Long who resigned
July 13 due to health issues. Camp
bell will serve through his term,
which expires December 31. She
is not interested in running in this
year’s election.
“I am new to the position,” she
said. “I have never filled a city coun
cil seat before. Once I get into it and
see how it is, I may be interested in
the next election (in 2023).”
In the meantime, she hopes to
bring positive input to the council,
most importantly on the topic of rec
reational activities for Sardis youth.
Providing kids with more to do is
a popular theme in the city situated
about 17 miles from Waynesboro.
Most of the candidates running in
November mentioned the need for a
recreation center located nearer than
the Waynesboro facility.
The municipal government con
sists of an elected mayor and five
council members. Officials have
four-year terms. This year’s election
will be held on November 2nd. The
city’s elections are held in odd years.
The next one will be held in Novem
ber 2023 at which time, Sardis will
have three council seats open. This
year, the mayor's term and the two
council seats held by Campbell and
Oliver expire December 31st, 2021.
Council member Rog
er Lane’s seat will also ®EE
be up for grabs this year. SARDIS
Lane resigned last week, 8
Rebuilding Gough one step at a time
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Gough Improvement Asso
ciation is making a comeback with
members who are motivated to bring
vitality to the unincorporated com
munity founded in 1905.
The Association is not new. It
was started back in the late 1970’s
by Melvin Evans. Before all of the
original members passed, Paul At
well became the president. The group
stayed together mostly focusing on
cleaning up the area, and since 2010,
holding festivals throughout the year
designed to reconnect people born
and raised in Gough.
“But then that got weak,” Atwell
said and added that when Manessa
Stokes moved back to the area in
2018, she re-ignited a spark of en
thusiasm. The group is beginning to
pick up momentum.
“When Manessa came back, she
said, ‘we have to do more,’ and it
opened my eyes that we needed to
do more,” Atwell said. “She started
building a new foundation for the
Gough Improvement Association
and everyone wanted to jump on
board with her because her ideas are
so strong.”
Stokes relocated to Florida where
she lived for approximately three
decades, but Gough never left her
mind. She attended the festivals but
returned back to the Sunshine State
disheartened. Even so, she knew she
would return to her childhood home
someday after she retired.
“I would come every year (and
think) ‘okay they are having this
every year but what is there to come
back to?”’ Stokes said. “So, when
I did come back home in 2018, I
wanted to do what I could to show the
people who have left, the potential to
come back home.”
It’s not just Gough natives the
group wants to see taking an interest
in the community. The vision is to
rebuild and restore Gough for past,
present and future residents, she said.
“We are setting goals, but right
now we want to start with some
smaller ones,” Stokes said. Members
of the community recently selected
officers and they are currently work
ing on establishing a 501 (c) (3)
status.
Gough has seen more
vivacious days. It once SEE
had its own school, SHERIFF,
funeral home and bank. g
Secretary Manessa Stokes and
President Paul Atwell.
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