Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, January 26, 2022 — Page 15
Connecting with county services: Keysville
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
This is part 2 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
relationship with the county
government and to express their
thoughts on how the county can
better service them.
The women of Keysville are
not shy about expressing their
frustrations with the county.
Mayor Linda Wilkes Davis
described the relationship with
the county as appearing to be
“one-sided” at times. She said
it’s hard to make contact with
the right people in the govern
ment entity who will address
and resolve the issues she pres
ents. Councilwoman Sharon
Neely agreed. She said she is
often told that since Keysville
is a city, they should be able to
function on their own through
the use of their city personnel.
This is especially true when it
comes to road repairs. How
ever, the city’s road department
consists of one person, who
also handles any water issues
they face. Keysville’s access
to equipment is limited.
Previously, the county as
sisted in water issues under
the street. Possessing more
sophisticated and costly equip
ment, the pipes were able to be
repaired without digging up
the road.
“We have to dig up the whole
street now to fix those pipes,”
Davis said. “They have equip
ment that can go under the
road and we were using it at
one time, but they stopped. So,
now there are cuts across the
road because that is the only
way we have the ability to get
to the pipes.”
The panel, including Coun-
cilwomen Maggie Terrell and
Kathy Couch, expressed frus
tration with road repairs the
county has completed.
“They come out and fix the
road but it’s done so poorly
that you have to call back and
ask them to come out and fix it
again.,” Davis said as the panel
nodded in agreement.
The women would also like
Di-Lane
Continued from front
to gain more assistance with
their community park. The
mayor expressed she receives
the same type of divertive re
sponse from the county when
she asks for assistance in up
grading playground equip
ment. She would like to see the
county focus less on recreation
close to Waynesboro and spend
more money on parks in the
outlying cities.
“When we ask for help with
something, they say ‘well
that’s a city park,”’ Davis said
and pointed out that for low-
income residents of Keysville,
transportation issues prevent
them from utilizing services at
the Burke County Recreation
Department. “You have to look
at the distance. We are quite a
distance from Waynesboro.”
Keysville invested SPLOST
funds in a basketball court
after the county denied them
assistance, she said. Currently,
the city is in need of replacing
playground equipment that is
approximately 30 years old.
“If you look at the price of
a swing, you are talking about
$20,000 or more just for that
little set,” she said. “We can’t
afford to buy that so if they
would help with the equipment,
just do something.”
The mayor adamantly ex
claimed the county provides
no senior support at all either.
She would like to see more
structured programming for the
city’s senior population.
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams
pledged to beef up patrol of the
outlying areas when he took
office. The panel agreed that
response time is better now
than in previous years. Davis
would still like to see an officer
housed in the immediate area
though. The city can’t afford
to hire its own police officer.
“We don’t have anyone to
enforce anything,” she said.
“That’s what we really need is
an officer housed in our area.”
Keysville also feels left out
by the Development Authority.
“In my entire eight years
here, I have never had anyone
say, ‘come to a meeting, we
have businesses that are inter
ested,”’ Davis said.
The panel all agreed they do
not feel adequately represented
by Commissioner Lucious
Abrams. Terrell said she felt if
the city had more representa
tion from their commissioner,
they would be able to get more
done. The panel also stated
they stopped attending BOC
meetings because they felt they
were continuously dismissed.
“We need to start attending
those meetings at least every
other month,” Davis said. ”We
are to the point that we are try
ing to take what little funds we
have and do what we can.”
Local woman appointed to advisory council
State school Superintendent
Richard Woods announced that
Jaymie Miettunen will partici
pate on the state-level Parent
Advisory Council.
Mietteunen is an active par
ent in Burke County Public
Schools and will serve as one
of the 15 new members on the
board. The school district nom
inated her after an evaluation
based on her capacity to lead,
current levels of involvement
in her child’s school, and her
responses to several applica
tion questions. As a member of
the Parent Advisory Council,
Miettunen is responsible for
providing input on decisions
and policies regarding increas
ing parent and family engage
ment with the school systems
on a state level to substantially
improve student achievement.
Miettunen will hold her posi
tion for up to two years, greatly
impacting the lives of our
students and families in Burke
County and the state.
“We can only truly do our
jobs as educators in partner
ship with parents and families,”
Woods said. “When schools
and families work in true part
nership - not always agreeing,
but in open conversation and in
pursuit of the same goal - our
children can succeed at new
levels. As my team and I make
decisions that impact children
and their families, the feedback
of the Parent Advisory Council
is indispensable.”
Jaymie Miettunen
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A helicopter view of Di-Lane Plantation, site of the annual Georgia Field Trial Association
competition.
management from these re
search projects and different
findings, “he said.
Wild birds are trapped and
receive radio transmitters that
track their movements after
they are released. Some of the
research has resulted in signifi
cant findings.
“They are looking at dif
ferent supplemental feeding
applications and looking to
see what is more beneficial
in their movements,” Meckel
said and pointed out that re
cent studies addressed preda
tion. “Our burning and habitat
management promotes food
for the quail, but if we go out
and supplement that food the
quail don’t have to move as
far which keeps them out of
the eyes of predators.”
Trapping keeps pillagers like
coyotes, down to a minimum.
However, coyotes do not pose
the biggest threat. In quail
management, the nest preda
tors are typically more detri
mental than larger predators
like coyotes and foxes.
“In our trapping efforts, we
try to emphasize reducing the
number of nest predators such
as opossums, raccoons and ar
madillos right before the quail
[/Phantom
start laying eggs, Meckel said.
“Quality habitat is the main
component to having a suc
cessful quail population, but
meso-mammal trapping is a
tool we use to help supplement
our quality habitat.”
Alligator research also takes
place.
In preparation for the Geor
gia Field Trials, Meckel and his
crew mow lanes, enabling the
horses and hunters to maneuver
more easily.
“Every race that the Georgia
Field Trials do, they are all run
ning the same course,” Meckel
Wild birds are trapped and
receive radio transmitters that
track their movements after
they are released.
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said. “We have three courses
that we mow.”
Besides the annual Geor
gia Field Trial Association’s
competition, the grounds at
Di-Lane are used for several
other large field trial events
each year. One of these events
qualifies dogs for the National
Bird Dog Championship held
annually at Ames Plantation
in Grand Junction, Tennessee.
Field trials are competitions
used to test dogs for hunting
skills. They flush out the birds,
but do not harm them.
4-YEAR-TRACK SCHOLARSHIP
Burke County High School’s J’Dynn Allen achieved a full ride four- year track scholarship with
Lees-Mcrae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. L-R: Mother Melissa Allen, J’DynnAllen and
sisterJ’Karra Jackson.
Lane
Brothers
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