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Vol. 142, No. 20 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 - $1.00
Waynesboro FUMC faces theological debate
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetuecitizen.shelliel@gmail.com
Members of the Waynesboro First
United Methodist Church (FUMC)
must decide whether to disaffiliate
from the denomination, as an unprec
edented divide unfolds.
Leaders of the North Georgia
Conference voted June 2 to allow
more than 70 churches, the majority
of which exist in rural parts of the
Peach State, to disaffiliate from the
United Methodist Church (UMC)
over LGBTQ+ inclusivity. The de
bate centers around same-sex mar
riage and ordination of practicing
LGBTQ+ people.
“These issues are not new but
sadly, have grown to a point that
the denomination can no longer
remain intact,” FUMC worship
leaders wrote in a May 31 letter to
members of the congregation. “Your
church council has set three town
hall meeting dates over the course
of this summer. At these meetings,
you will receive the most accurate,
updated information available to us.”
During a called 2019 General Con
ference, a traditional plan was passed
that left language banning same-sex
marriages and ordination of practic
ing LGTBQ+ people in the Book of
Discipline. However, because of pro
tests and hard feelings on both sides,
the conference also added wording
which allows individual churches
to disaffiliate from the UMC over
these issues by April 1,2023. How
ever, later in 2019, in an effort to
reconcile the two factions, “The
Protocol for Grace and Reconcilia
tion through Separa
tion” was created. The
“ProtocoF’provided
a structured path that
SEE
DEBATE,
3
Lay Leader Jim White spoke to members of the First United Methodist
Church June 29 regarding the congregation’s upcoming task of deciding
whether to disaffiliate from the denomination.
Bird dog
retires
to the
capital
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
After a long and successful
career, a local German Shorthair
Pointer will spend the rest of
his life living out his retirement
in the Bird Dog Capital of the
World.
The start of a canine-owner
power team began on a humble
note. Fawn Kovach’s family
birthed a litter of German Short-
haired Pointer pups. One of the
males struggled to begin life.
“I was not supposed to get
him because all the puppies
were already spoken for before
they were born. But he was born
gasping for air and barely had a
heartbeat,” Kovach said. “ My
mom handed him to me and told
me if I could get him going, I
could keep him. So, I gave him
mouth to mouth and got him to
start nursing and since then noth
ing has held him back.”
German Shorthaired Pointers
are versatile and tend to excel
at anything they do. Kovach’s
dog’s registered name, Sonrise
Valentine, along with 20 accom-
I WKVI
[ yq P O ft W A K 6|
U.S.CANINS
BIATHLON
Parker and Fawn participating in the 2018 US K9 Biathlon in An-
iston, Alabama.
WK9
VAPOR WAKE
U.S. CANINE
BIATHLON
WK9
u.s.canimp
BIATH’
panying abbreviations, is a trib- ticipated in dock diving. Diving
ute to all that he accomplished, includes measuring the distance a
including dog jumps
“My mom handed him to me
and told me if I could get him
going, I could keep him. So, I
gave him mouth to mouth and
got him to start nursing and
since then nothing has held him
has partici- back.” Fawn Kovach
pated in various American Ken
nel Club (AKC) events, includ
ing agility where he ran around
a ring and jumped. He also par-
35 titles in
10 events.
However,
Kovach
fondly re
fers to him
as “Parker”
at home.
Parker
in at 33.7 mph.
One of his fa
vorite events is
the barn hunt,
into the
water off
of a pier.
In 2016,
he was
named the
fastest dog
at the 100-
yard dash,
clocking
SEE
BIRD DOG,
14
Where the BOC
stands on trash
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
During the called meeting June 28,
the Board of Commissioners contin
ued discussions about the dilemma
of how to do away with the county’s
108 dumpster sites.
The current proposal is to con
struct 10 manned drop-off sites,
each one monitored and staffed with
specific hours of operation. The plan
would include locating the sites ap
proximately five miles from each
residence.
Burke County is looking at
Toombs County’s seven convenience
center set-up, including the cost of
construction and operating costs.
The transition from dumpsters to
manned convenience centers would
not occur over night. Each site would
sit on at least an acre parcel. The
county would furnish the supervision
of the sites six days per week. A con
tractor would haul away the garbage
approximately four times per site per
week. The estimated initial expense
of building 10 sites is approximately
$2.5 million, with a first- year cost of
more than $3 million. The estimated
annual operating expense is about
$750,000.
“The problem with 10 sites is that
we are going to have to buy some
land,” said County Manager Merv
Waldrop.
The BOC agreed to schedule a
held trip to Toombs County. “I know
two commissioners in Toombs,”
Chairwoman Terri Lodge Kelly. “I
want to see their side of how it’s
working.”
Burke Health celebrates
one year anniversary
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Burke Health celebrates its first an
niversary since acquiring the former
Burke Medical Center last June, dif
ferentiating itself in rural healthcare
by specializing in orthopedics and
cardiology.
Soon after its acquisition, Burke
Medical Center underwent a com
plete re-branding initiative. In addi
tion, the hospital’s clinics were also
re-branded to create consistency in
their efforts to offer comprehensive
services and care patients could
trust. The new branding went into
effect earlier this year when they
announced the new name “Burke
Health” to the public, along with new
logos, website, tagline, and social
accounts.
“As we celebrate this anniversary
and reflect on the hard work and
dedication our staff has exhibited
to make our facility the first choice
in patient care, Burke Health is
proud of our progress in just a short
time,” CEO Mike
Hester said. “We SEE
look forward to ANNIVERSARY,
the future of this „
BOC designates their share of SPLOST V
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Burke County Board of Com
missioners met Tuesday, June 28 in
a special called meeting to approve
their SPLOST V budget.
At the top of the list, the panel
discussed how much to put toward
remedying the county’s broadband
issue. They voted unanimously to
budget $18 million of the estimated
$27,183,600 they intend to collect
beginning in two years and span
ning over the next six years. County
Manager Merv Waldrop said latest
estimates put a $40 million price
tag on providing internet access
throughout the entire county. Senator
Max Bums is pushing for the funding
at the state level, he said. However,
state funding would likely require a
50% match.
“We anticipate applying for $20
million in state funds,” Waldrop
said. “That grant application process
opens up in July. We think we will
be more successful than last time.”
The county currently has $4 mil
lion set aside for the broadband
project. The Board of Education has
committed to applying $3 million
in additional funds. Commissioners
Tommy Nix and Art Lively both
expressed their doubt that the BOE
will contribute more money.
“You all need to lean on your
school board a little heavier,” Lively
suggested. “They have taken what
started out at $14 million down to
$11 million and now it’s at $3 mil
lion.”
The BOC dedicated $ 1,683,000 to
add to leftover funds from SPLOST
III & IV, along with T-SPLOST
funding, to handle road and bridge
projects.
“The concern we have is that we
have some bridge projects on Hern
don Road,” Waldrop said. “Hope
fully, we can get some state funding,
but I am sure we are going to need
a match. There are two bridges out
on Herndon Road that are going to
need to be replaced at some point.”
Next, the BOC agreed to apply $2
million toward recreation facility
improvements that include a new
park out on Hwy 24 S. Nix said
the public space is important for the
community.
“The intent is to develop the new
property into a park with some walk
ing trails and a fishing pier and some
picnic pavilions,” Waldrop said dur
ing the meeting.
In an email June 29, he elaborated
on some of the plans: “The intent is
to use the 80 acres around the EMA
Headquarters and Animal Shelter for
a passive park with picnic pavilions,
trails for walking and biking, fish
ing piers and open space for pickup
games of Frisbee & football, etc,” he
wrote. “It will be a work in progress
for a number of years with projects
added as funding allows. The $2
million in SPLOST will be a great
start towards this project.”
The Burke County Detention Cen
ter needs an additional pod, mainly
to provide for female inmates.
The Board designated $3 million
for the project. Additionally, they
designated $2,500,600 for new law
enforcement vehicles, choosing to
appropriate nothing toward the De
velopment Authority. The panel also
designated nothing toward airport
improvements since they have T-
SPLOST funds and
have received state SEE
funding that requires S P LOST V,
only a 5% match. 3
“What about the