About The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 2008)
February 27, 2008 PAGE 3A ^Reporter Local News Have local news to report? Call 994-2358 or email wpdavis@bellsouth.net. City lets obody wants to Logwall Baptist pass go to church. It’s obvious they don’t care about Jesus out tracts - Logwall member Howard Faulk It’s been reported that 80 percent of Georgians don’t go to church, and members of Logwall Baptist Church in Forsyth want to do something about it. “Nobody wants to go to church,” Howard Faulk, a member of Logwall, explained to the Forsyth city council last Tuesday, Feb. 21. “It’s obvious they don’t care about Jesus.” So Logwall, which draws about 12 members to its Hwy. 42 sanctu ary on Sunday mornings, is asking the city to let it hit the streets. Faulk said they’d like to be able to distribute Christian tracts on Saturdays in front of busy places like Wal-Mart and Ingles. The city requires those wanting to hold parades and demonstra tions to get prior approval for spe cific dates and times from city hall. Faulk said church members want to evangelize on Saturday afternoons but don’t want to com mit to certain times because they don’t know how many can attend and about the weather. Council member Lamar Russell wondered why Logwall couldn’t just make a commitment. “Jesus never had an umbrella,” he said. But Faulk said the weather may affect when they do their outreach. “Some of these little old church ladies ain’t gonna be out there with an umbrella,” said Faulk. Council approved a 3-month per mit letting the church hand out tracts on Saturdays. After that, it’ll review the situation. Council member Melvin Lawrence asked Faulk if it’s really true that 80 percent of people in Georgia don’t go to church. Faulk said that was the finding of a sur vey by the Georgia Baptist Convention. “That’s why Jesus said only a few will be saved,” said Faulk. “Come to Logwall. We got 12-15 people and we can barely pay the light bill.” Delaying a vote, city still has no animal control ordinance Stray dogs and cats may be able to roam Forsyth some what safely for a few more weeks while the city hashes out another animal control contract with the county. A contract obligating the county to provide animal con trol in Forsyth expired Dec. 31. The county has approved a new contract with the city, but Forsyth council mem bers on Feb. 19 said they’re not ready to sign it. Council ordered city attorney Bobby Melton to make changes to the proposed animal control contract in con junction with county attorney Michael Dillon. Melton urged council not to approve the contract as is because it abdicates the city’s authority over stray animals to the county. In September 2007, the city and county agreed to a three-month contract which provided that the county hire an animal control officer for the city but to be con sidered a county employee. For the service, the city paid the county $7,500. One of the sticking points has been the poor condition of the county’s small shelter, and the county’s policy allowing it to euthanize dogs and cats within 24 hours. The city has said it would like to wait longer to give resi dents a chance to reclaim lost cats and dogs. But mayor Tye Howard said Feb. 19 that just because the county can kill strays that quickly, it doesn’t mean they do. In other news: • James Street residents will have another chance to get new water and sewer lines, but it may have to become a one-way street to get them. City council mem bers learned more about their new application for a $500,000 grant to do infrastructure improvements in the area Feb. 19. A similar application was rejected late last year but Chan Layson of the Middle Georgia Regional Development Center (RDC) told council members by making James Street one way they’ll be able to show state officials they’ll still have room for emergency vehi cles on the road. He said he’ll also remove plans for storm water drainage work from the grant application, which is due by April 1. The city would have to spend $207,000 to match the grant. County delays vote on new boat ramps Monroe County commissioners held off on approving lease agreements for boat ramp construction at Pope’s Ferry and operation and maintenance on the Ocmulgee River in Juliette. Instead of voting on the issue, Commissioners Jim Ham and Mike Bilderback decided to set a public hearing for the county’s March 18 meeting on both ramps. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources had proposed the leases. Ham said he is afraid that maintenance of the Juliette ramp would be a burden on the county. He added that the site for the ramp is not a natural one and that silt is a major problem. “We need to meet with the DNR and get that worked on,” he commented. The commission voted unanimously for the delay. Bolingbroke fire station seeks aid for renovations J.D. Chapman, captain of Fire Station No. 4 in Bolingbroke, asked commissioners to fund improvements to the fire station. Chapman said the lowest bid for improvements is $37,000. “We have an agreement and I wish you could come up with a way to honor it. Let’s be proactive and go ahead and make it better,” he empha sized. Chapman told the commission that the inside of the fire station has been remodeled and repainted. “Volunteers did it. The only thing the county did was fur nish the paint. Volunteers paid for everything else,” he said. Chapman also said that sooner or later the county is going to have to have a ladder truck. He said that the increasing number of two and three story homes make the ladder truck a necessity Currently however, he said that only station 12 is big enough to house a ladder truck. No action was taken on the request. Bankers' Hoursf When it's family, Bankers Hours extend well after 5 p.m For Candice Griffin, Monroe County Bank is more than just her place of business for the past 38 years. It's more like her extended family. In fact, she's one of four generations who have been customers of Monroe County Bank. And her mother, Grace Hardage, worked at Monroe County Bank for years until her retirement. Now Candice has been serving Monroe County at the bank for almost four decades. For Candice, Bankers Hours don't end at 5 p.m. That's just the way it is with family. m*b MONROE COUNTY BANK M e m b e r Local. Listening. Leading.
