Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, August 17, 2022 — Page 3
BURKE
COUNTY'S
FIVE-DAY
FORECAST
TODAY
Partly Sunny Sunny
30% Chance of Showers
THURSDAY
Mostly Cloudy
80% Chance of Showers
FRIDAY
Mostly Cloudy
70% Chance of Showers
SATURDAY
Partly Sunny
60% Chance of Showers
SUNDAY
Partly Sunny
60% Chance of Showers
Forecast of the National Weather Service
Two Burke County cities cash in on
congressionally directed spending
LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
Keysville and Waynesboro
will receive lump sums to as
sist with sewer upgrades and
water-related issues thanks to
Senator Raphael Warnock’s
congressionally directed
spending requests.
The municipalities had un
til April 2022 to apply for
the grant funds. Waynesboro
was approved for $2,000,000
for sewer line improvements
and upgrades. Keysville was
awarded $197,000 for water
supply and water source lines.
As defined in Rule XLIV of
the Standing Rules of the Sen
ate, the term “congressionally
directed spending item” means
a provision included primar
ily at the request of a Sena
tor, recommending a specific
amount of discretionary budget
authority to an entity, other
than through a statutory or ad
ministrative, formula-driven,
or competitive award process,
Cardiologist jumps in to
Burke Health recently an
nounced the on-boarding
of cardiologist Dr. Kendall
Griffith.
While making rounds to
local medical practices and
introducing himself to area
physicians, Griffith was shown
test results from a patient that
had just been sent from the
doctor's office directly to the
Emergency Room at Burke
Health.
Without hesitation, Griffith
left that practice, rushed to the
ER, and talked with the at
tending physician, patient and
family to offer his services that
same night. Upon acceptance
of his offer, Griffith canceled
his remaining meetings for the
afternoon, gathered a team and
made all necessary arrange
ments to scrub in and install a
life-saving device in the patient
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
During the August monthly
meeting, the Board of Com
missioners denied the Plan
ning Commission’s request to
lower permit fees in an effort to
lessen the cost associated with
construction projects within
Mulching
then we will have to sell our
homes because we can’t drink
the water.”
Rufus Burdette is the devel
oper responsible for building
most of the houses in the area
once known as Gilead Estates.
He has lived across the street
from the proposed site since
2010 and has organized a
petition for the residents of
Bates Road and hired an at
torney to represent them. He
is concerned that the city never
clearly informed the neighbor
hood of their intention to open
up a mulching facility. A public
hearing notice in The True Citi
zen August 3 and a sign leaning
over on the property, and not
clearly visible, indicates only
that there is a hearing to request
the re-zoning.
“One day we just looked
out and it had been mowed,
and that had never happened
before,” he said. “None of us
was notified that the city was
going to put a mulching plant
in our front yards.”
Burdette said it has always
been his understanding that the
property was part of the mitiga
tion area for the contaminated
landfill run by the city years
ago. The landfill reached its
capacity in the 1990s, accord
ing to Councilman Dick Byne
during a phone interview Au
gust 13. The city continues to
monitor the property for any
contamination in the water.
Byne said the city has been
conducting its mulching on
as quickly as possible.
Griffith will help lead the
way for Burke Health to offer
advanced cardiology services
aligned with their mission to
combat heart health statistics
within rural communities by
providing easy access to Burke
County residents and neighbor
ing communities.
He comes to Waynesboro
with an impressive back
ground, earning a Bachelor
of Science degree from More
house College and attend
ing the University of Miami
School of Medicine.
As former CEO of Gover
nor Juan F. Luis Hospital in
St. Croix, he established the
first Interventional Cardiology
program in the Virgin Islands.
In addition, he performed
the first coronary angioplasty
and successfully implanted
the county.
The average permitted value
of homes has increased sub
stantially, therefore resulting
in an increase in permit fees
as well. The new rate proposal
would have reduced the permit
fee approximately 45% on av
erage, depending on the proj-
his private property at no cost.
Although he is not opposed to
the city continuing its mulch
ing operation on his property,
he speculated that Waynesboro
wants to do it on city-owned
property. He said the decision
was not made during a public
city council meeting but during
a committee meeting earlier in
the month. “It was an internal
decision,” he said.
Mayor-elect Bill Tinley said
the operation on Bates Road
will be closer to the city and
cost Waynesboro less money.
Burdette said he contacted
Vice-Mayor James Chick Jones
who told him the plant has to
“go somewhere.” Burdette said
he reached out to Commis
sioner Art Lively who did not
return his phone calls.
“Who is representing us?”
Burdette asked.
Byne said as far as he knows,
the grinding will only take
place once-a-year. He admitted
that the piled limbs and leaves
will, in all likeliness, attract
rodents.
“Fungal spores and wood
dust from mulch are known
health risks to humans,” Bur
dette said. “Wood dust has been
long established as a carcino
gen. Mulch that is piled more
than a few inches can build up
heat and spontaneously catch
hre.”
Burdette said it’s like a deja
vu moment for the residents on
Bates Road.
“You just had a landfill issue
the first cardiac defibrillator
on the Island. Griffith also
proctored the first permanent
pacemaker and cardiac defibril
lator implantation in St. Lucia
& Tortola and was instrumental
in training Guyana's cardiac
catheterization laboratory staff.
"Providing cardiovascular
care closer to home, when
every second counts, means
greater patient outcomes.
Dr. Griffith and his profound
knowledge and expertise
will be instrumental in tack
ling heart-related illness in
our community," stated Paul
Thompson, Director of Cardi
ology at Burke Health. Griffith
is currently accepting new
patients and is conveniently
located at Burke Cardiology
in Waynesboro, Georgia. Ap
pointments can be made by
calling (706) 702-2667.
the same
ect. Commissioner Art Lively
moved to approve the request
based on the fact that the Plan
ning Commission and building
inspector were in agreement
with the change; however none
of the others on the BOC panel
seconded the motion.
Continued from front
already that was contaminating
the McIntosh Creek,” he said.
“Why in the world would you
come here, right adjacent to it,
and do the same thing? That
is the creek where our water
comes from.”
However, the entire issue is
up in the air. The city may not
even have to receive approval
for re-zoning to implement
mulching on the property.
According to Planning Com
missioner Scott Lee, small
scale mulching operations are
already allowed in A-l zoning.
Small scale mulching includes
the manufacturing, processing,
and packaging of horticultural
mulch from previously ground
chips or similarly processed
materials. Small-scale op
erations may not conduct ac
tivities consisting of primary
grinding or mulching and shall
not grind any stumps, trees,
limbs, yard waste, solid waste
or other debris. Large-scale
mulching is only allowed in 1-1
zoning. However, the Planning
Commission is reviewing the
feasibility of allowing large
scale mulching in A-l also, but
as a conditional use, Lee said.
A public hearing to ad
dress the city’s zoning request
is scheduled at the Historic
Courthouse August 23 at 7 p.m.
However, City Manager
Valerie Kirkland said in an
email Tuesday, August 16, the
city intends to ask the Planning
Commission to “table” the re
zoning application.
Permit fees to stay
according to www.appropria
tions.senate .gov.
Warnock is a pastor and
politician serving as the junior
United States senator from
Georgia since 2021. A mem
ber of the Democratic Party,
he assumed office on January
20,2021.
save life
Editor:
As a resident in the commu
nity who utilizes the “Burke
County Dumpsters” located
at the intersection of Porter
Carswell Road, Herndon Road,
and Middleground Road; I
would like to commend the
Burke County employees who
maintain this site for a “job”
well done.
The site should be awarded
the “Best Clean Site” in Burke
County. Additionally, I would
like to say “thanks” to the resi
dents who dispose of their trash
inside of the dumpsters to keep
the site clean. Your neighbor, S.
Ronald Reed, says thanks, and
keep up the good work “Keep
ing Burke County Clean.”
S. Ronald Reed
WHAT’S NEXT?
Friday, August 19
Every Friday at 10:30 a.m. is children’s story time with Miss
Paulette at the Burke County Public Library
Friday, August 26
Due to new demands for more staffing, Savannah River Nuclear
Solutions (SRNS), management and operations contractor at the
Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS), will hold
an Engineering and Project Controls Recruitment Fair on Friday,
Aug. 26,11 a.m.-7 p.m., at the University of South Carolina Ai
ken Student Activity Center. Participants can register by visiting
the SRNS website or by clicking on the following link: SRNS
Career Fair Registration.
Tuesday, August 30
The Burke county Library is hosting a Princess & Prince Tea
Party that includes a children’s lunch. The event takes place from
11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
CROSSWORD
■ ACROSS
1) Petri dish gel
5) Shoulder-bag feature
10) Compass drawings
14) Be a nomad
15) Conversation piece?
16) Type of bean or milk (Var.)
17) "As before," in footnotes
18) Numbered highway
19) Diplomat's skill
20) Shun caution
23) Slightly bum
24) Pure-and-simple
25) Bundling cotton
28) Itsy-bitsy parasite
30) Slack-jawed
31) Attack, as a wasp
33) Greedy sort, animal-wise
36) Abet
40) Combine numbers
41) Natural fertilizer source
42) Jazz legend Fitzgerald
43) A Muppet
44) Market used merchandise
46) Fly-trapping sticky stuff
49) Like a noble gas
51) Stands totally apart
57) Quote, as a passage
58) Salk vaccine target
59) Major (Big Dipper
constellation)
60) Oscar winner Guinness
61) In anyway
62) Spellbound
63) It gets on one's nerves
64) Is allowed to, to
Shakespeare
65) What anything can be in
front of?
down
1) Seed case
2) Vast desert
3) Tel , Israel
4) Make a new preliminary sketch, e.g.
5) Bounded
6) Minimal bikini bottom
7) Blush
8) At times it's upped
9) Your equal in society
10) Very perceptive
11) Celebrity ribbing event
12) Word with "business" or "life"
13) Mythical goat-legged reveler
21) Racket
22) Income's opposite
25) Cake with a kick
26) Like fine scotch
27) Amount of laundry
28) Japanese soup
29) and outs
31) Leave in haste, as a cat
32) Baker's dozen minus three
33) Gomer of Mayberry
34) " do" (faint praise)
35) Word screamed by soccer
announcers
37) FBI worker
38) Junkyard canine
39) Burnout preventer, often
43) Split down the middle
44) Rise in opposition
45) Major time period
46) Part of a sportscast
47) Napoleon's punishment
48) Building locations
49) Mosaic, for one
50) What manicurists do
52) Email filter target
53) Itsy-bitsy amount
54) Caspian Sea tributary
55) Priority Mail agcy.
56) Final check?
ANSWERS ON 12
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