Newspaper Page Text
Page 2— Wednesday, January 19, 2022, The True Citizen
decision to remove his steam
engine from the city’s Trans
portation Enhancement Park.
Bell approached the city
council Jan. 11 after he re
ceived a letter asking that he
show proof of ownership prior
to removing the steam engine.
During the meeting, he pub
licly accused Councilwoman
Rolene Oliver of believing she
was the rightful owner of the
steam engine that has sat in the
park since 2013 via a written
agreement signed by former
Mayor Preston Conner. Oliver
denied ever claiming owner
ship. Bell referenced a Dec.
29 issue of The True Citizen in
which Conner stated that as far
as he was concerned, there was
never any question the steam
engine belongs to Bell.
“I’m going to move it be
cause I am going to give it to
my grandson,” Bell told the
panel and later indicated it had
been willed to him. Addition
ally, he complained that the
steam engine originally had a
tongue, enabling its removal.
He asked the city to supply it
with a new tongue.
Mayor Roger Lane told Bell
that he was aware that the city
had invested money into refur
bishing the engine in the past,
but indicated that the city was
not presently willing to repair
it. He asked Bell what the city
could do to obtain ownership.
Bell declined the offer.
Bell’s nephew, Chip Dixon,
said he had never heard talk
among family members that
Bell owned the steam engine.
He made a suggestion that the
steam engine could be left at
the park with a plaque com
memorating Bell. He backed
down, however, when his uncle
indicated that he could prove it
had been willed to him. Dixon
referenced Bell as an honest
man.
City Attorney Chris Dube
weighed-in on the subject,
advising the city that the 2013
agreement clearly indicated
that the city retained no rights
to the steam engine. He stated
it would be a losing proposi
tion for the city to fight for the
steam engine in a court of law.
He suggested the city allow
Bell to remove it after signing
an agreement that Bell would
be held liable for any damages
incurred to the park during the
process.
Lane indicated previously
that he had received citizen
feedback opposing the removal
of the steam engine and, that
while it has sat in several lo
cations, has been an icon in
Sardis for approximately 60
years.
Bell signed the agreement
before he left the meeting and
indicated that he would be
removing the steam engine the
following week
Vying for respect in a male sport
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
A Pennsylvania woman
combines her passion for ani
mals with her inherited instinct
to compete.
George Tracy, inducted into
the Lield Trial Hall of Lame in
2012, first ran his bird dogs in
Burke County in 1967. Accord
ing toaJanuary 18,2012,issue
of The True Citizen, for the
next 45 years, he traveled to the
Bird Dog Capital every year
except one. His wife, Mary,
traveled with him, turning their
camper trailer into a makeshift
nursery to accommodate their
growing family. Jeanette Tracy,
now 44 years old, was one of
those infants.
“They traveled mid-August
to May and then in the summer
they trained in Pennsylvania,”
she said of her parents. “We
went to school when it was
time to go to school. Mom
would stay home with us and
meet dad on the weekends.”
Often during the winter
months, Jeanette would travel
south to spend a week or two
at a time with her dad, assist
ing him in training dogs in the
less extreme climate. The hard
work her dad put into his pas
sion, impressed her as a child.
“He always taught us to
work hard,” she said of him.
“to accomplish whatever we
wanted to.”
Lield trial competition
wasn’t what Jeanette set out
to do initially.
“I absolutely swore that
I wouldn’t be in this busi
ness,” she said laughing. She
inherited the love of dogs, but
wanted to open up a boarding
kennel instead. She secured
employment in a boarding fa
cility but returned home when
her dad got injured. “I went on
the road with him for a couple
years starting back in 2000.”
Jeanette leaned toward train
ing the puppies and scouting.
Soon, owners began asking her
to train their puppies for pay.
That led to her going out on
her own in 2005. Almost two
decades later, Jeanette holds a
professional status, competing
against her dad and brother.
She is currently campaigning
25 dogs, as the only woman in
the shooting dog circuit com
peting on a professional level.
Iconic departure
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Not everyone in Sardis is
on board with Robert Bell’s
Robert Bell addressed the Sardis City Council Jan. 11, vehemently claiming ownership
of the steam engine in the city’s T.E. Park.
“There might be some
body else out west, but not
to my knowledge,” Tracy
said .“Definitely not on the East
coast, so, in my world with the
shooting dog circuit, I am it.”
Defining it as a man’s sport,
Jeanette said she had to jump
through hoops to earn re
spect with the judges in order
to place. The competition is
tough. It’s difficult for new
comers of either gender to get
into it on a professional level.
There are female owners and
other women competing on the
amateur level, but not every
amateur aspires to move up
the ranks.
“A lot of the amateurs just
enjoy their dogs, they just want
to run them and enjoy it,” she
said. “They don’t want to run
other people’s dogs.”
The future will tell if Jea
nette is creating a professional
female pipeline though. She
is assisted by a 16-year-old
female cousin who competes
on the amateur circuit. She has
expressed interest in going on
the road with her aunt which
would upgrade her status.
“She’s very smart and we
keep telling her she doesn’t
need to do this as a profession,”
Jeanette pointed
out laughing. “It’s SEE
a tough life.” VYING,
Lield trials in- 15
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
This is part 1 of a 4- part
series examining the need
for county services in Burke
County’s outlying cities. Local
government authorities were
asked to define their city’s re
lationship with the county gov
ernment and to express their
thoughts on how the county can
better service them.
Councilwoman Rolene Oli
ver said during the two years
that she has served on the
panel; the county has assisted
with anything in which the city
of Sardis stated they needed.
Mayor Roger Lane reiterated
that sentiment.
“There is probably a lot we
have not asked for,” he said.
“But everything we asked for,
we got a response.”
New to politics, Lane admit
ted the bulk of his requests
were made up of asking for
guidance and clarification re
garding SPLOST funds. He
also listed law enforcement as
a valuable county asset. Oliver
pointed out that the county’s
recreation department assisted
in repairing the city’s basket
ball court.
The new mayor believes that
it is up to him to approach the
Board of Commissioners with
what his city needs. Oliver
shares the same opinion .She
believes the council needs to
better define the city’s requi
sites and then approach the
Board of Commissioners with
their requests.
“I think Sardis has neglected
to do that,” Lane said.
The city panel recently elect
ed to change the day for their
monthly meetings from the
second to the third Tuesday of
the month, eliminating conflict
with BOC meetings. They
hope it will inspire Commis
sioner Tommy Nix to attend
the council meetings. Nix has
expressed his willingness to
attend.
“That will give him an op
portunity to come here and
also give us the opportunity to
attend the county commission
meetings,” Lane said.
The mayor hopes to establish
more recreational activities
in the town of approximately
995 people. Residents com
plain that they are too far out
to utilize the county’s facility.
He would like to see a gym and
organized sports.
“Anything that we can get
in that area, if Burke County
can help, I would definitely
appreciate that,” he said.
Lane also wants to see an
established senior citizen com
munity program.
“I know we have a few pro
grams that come from Waynes
boro but it would be good to
have our own,” he said.
Additionally, there are roads
in Sardis that need to be paved.
Other than that, Lane said he
does not know what services
the county has to offer.
“I would like to get with the
county and see what they can
offer Sardis,” he said.
Jeanette Tracy is the only
woman who competed in
the Georgia Trial Associa
tion’s competition at Di-Lane
Plantation.
-can 706.554.2111
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