About The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 2008)
February 27, 2008 PAGE 9A Exporter County wins lower water rates from Macon Water bills for Monroe County customers won’t be going up as soon or as much now that Monroe County commissioners have secured a better rate from their supplier, the Macon Water Authority (MWA). MWA executive director Tony Rojas and chairman Frank Amerson agreed to reduce Monroe County’s rate from its current rate, which has been double the rate paid by Macon, to just a 50-percent mark-up. The MWA, which is Monroe County’s main water sup plier, had hiked its rates 20 percent last year, and again another 3 percent in January, pushing them to $4.05 per 1,000 gallons. Water authority director Marie Allen said she has n’t been notified of the exact rate reduction yet, but it’s likely to put the rate at closer to $3 per 1,000 gallons. The MWA agreed to the rate reduction after meet ing with commission chair man Harold Carlisle and commissioner Jim Ham last month. Carlisle said the change will save the Monroe County Water Authority Commissioners OK new church on Hwy. 87 BY WENDELL RAMAGE Work can begin on a new church on Hwy. 87, just north of River Mist subdivision, after Monroe County commissioners approved a condition al use permit Feb. 19. Thomas Fletcher came before the Monroe County commission last Tuesday night to request a zoning change from residential to condition al use. The commission unanimously approved the request after Commissioner Jim Ham made the motion, and Commissioner Mike Builderback seconded. The conditional use would be for the construction of a church. The church group is buying 10 acres from Fletcher on property located north of River Mist Subdivision. The main building would be 3,500 to 4,000 square feet with the possibility of adding a fellowship hall some time in the future. When the request was made to the Monroe County Zoning Board, the group discussed the need of a decel eration lane and a natural buffer added to the property line that sepa rates the property and River Mist Subdivision. Prior to the commis sion’s approval, the zoning board approved the request 5-0. In other news: • Commissioners approved a utili ties plan to get ready for the new owner of the industrial park on Rumble Road last Tuesday. Monroe County road inspector Cooter Waller discussed a proposed utility typical section for the industrial park at Rumble Road Tuesday night Specifically, the plan was for where utilities would be installed. “I told the developer we didn’t have a typical section for an industrial park,” Waller told the commission. He added that the developer is on an aggressive schedule and wants to be moving dirt by March. “They want to put the utilities on 12 foot shoulders on each side of the road,” Waller said. Utilities will include streetlights, gas, cable, sewer and fiber optics. Commissioner Jim Ham made the motion to approve, and Commissioner Jim Peters sec onded. The vote was unanimous. • Commissioners gave Tiffany Andrews and the chamber of comper- mission to set up the stage during the annual Forsythia Festival on the courthouse side of Lee Street. Community Calendar March 1 Benson and Friends to play at Juliette Opry Local muscian Miles Benson and Friends will perform at the Juliette Opry Saturday, Mar. 1 at 7 p.m. They will be playing a mixture of country, rock and blues. Backlot Players present Forsythia Festival concert The Backlot Players will present The Backlot Band & The Rose Revue in a fes tival concert, "Music to Please Every Ear", on Saturday, March 1 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. at the Rose Theater. Tickets are avail able at Monroe County Bank, Forsyth. Class of 76 to meet The Mary Persons High School class of 1976 will have a meeting at 6 p.m. March 1 at Ebbyz Restaurant on Hwy. 83. For more information call Barbara Shannon at 478- 994-1025. March 7 Exchange Club hosts Forsythia golf tournament The Exchange Club of Forsyth/Monroe County is sponsoring the Forsythia Festival golf tournament March 7 at the Forsyth Golf Club. The tournament format is a four-man scramble with a shotgun start at noon. The entry fee is $50 per person and includes a barbecue sand wich lunch. A full package per player is $60 and includes the entry fee, lunch and two mulligans. Proceeds will benefit Monroe County charities. Deadline for registering is March 1. For more infor mation on registering, donating a prize, or spon soring a hole please con tact Roger Cowart at 478- 993-3629. Buckner’s welcomes Paul Brown & band Paul Brown and his band and special guest, Sterlin Holloman will be playing at Buckner's Music Hall Friday Mar. 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. HAA to host king and queen annual fundraiser The Hubbard Alumni Association is hosting its annual Hubbard Alumni King and Queen Fundraiser. Anyone inter ested in being a contestant or sponsoring a contest ant, please call Annie Evans at 478-994-9791. Email calendar to ginaherring@bellsouth. net. Deadline is Friday at noon. If space permits, late and repeat submissions will be published. Queen to discuss water issues in High Falls Bud Queen, Monroe County environmentalist and water quality expert, will speak at 7 p.m. at the Feb. 28 meeting of the High Falls Civic Club. He will discuss the Monroe County Watershed and how the drought has affected some of the streams. Bud is a lifelong Georgia resident who moved to Monroe County in 1998 from Cobb County. Bud has made himself an invaluable advocate and asset in protecting High Falls Lake and the Towaliga Watershed. Bud has the reputation of always finding a way to solve most any problem. He is involved with the Georgia Wilderness Society, the Georgia River Network, the Georgia Adopt-A- Stream, the Altamaua/ Ocmulgee RiverKeepers Association and the High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance. He currently serves as president of the High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance and is on the advisory board of the Rivers Alive program. He was named River’s Networks 2006 volunteer of the year and received the Georgia Wilderness Society’s 2003 and 2005 Gene Espy Award for out standing community serv ice. Everyone is welcome at the meeting. The Civic Club is an organization that is dedicated to improving the High Falls area and meets monthly on the last Thursday of each month at the High Falls Fire Station located at 3901 High Falls Road. Refreshments and a time of fellowship will be shared at the end of the meeting. If you have any questions or need additional informa tion about the High Falls Civic Club please call 770- 775-7151. •Tour Local Pta Book- 2D PUBLISHING (ALL NEW) The Red Book (ALL NEW) Dear Customers & Long-time friends: Thanks again for those we have a already seen. Due to our Continuing Education Class Feb. 14th and 15th, we missed two full days serving Forsyth/Monroe County. As a reminder, we are steady on track and confident of our mission with Trinity Publishing. Our desire is to see every business owner to explain our mission individually, with our highly trained staff and my experience of over 40 years of building trust with customers worldwide. We are dedicated to show this same promise and commitment to produce for Forsyth/ Monroe County one of the most quality, high tech, up-to-date, powerfully innovative and professional informational directory in Middle Georgia. FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADVERTISE CALL 478-994-6371 *478-394-3154 PO BOX 5877«FORSYTH, GA 31029-5877 BUD QUEEN about $100,000 per year. But he noted that Monroe’s water system is already losing about $600,000 per year, so the savings will not be passed on to county water cus tomers. “It means we won’t have to raise rates as soon or as much as we would have otherwise,” said Carlisle. Carlisle said county offi cials are still working on other ways to reduce what the county pays for water. LOANS WHEN YOU NEED lit Personal Loans from $150 to $500 *more if you qualify Applications by Phone or In Person OPEN 8:30 - 5:00 Monday through Friday SECURITY FINANCE Your Friend When You Need $$$ We Prepare Taxes !J 9 N. Lee Street • Forsyth, GA • On the Square 478-994-2505 Dr. Jeremy Goodwin Joins Dr. Craig Caldwell 478-994-1010 97 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Forsyth, Georgia 11029 Monday thru Friday, 8:30am—5:00pm Internal w Medicine Associates of Middle Georgia Need help paying for prescription medicines? Community Health Works may be able to help. If you do not have prescription drug cover age, and you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression, or other illness, we may be able to help you get medicines like •Toprol •Wellbutrin xl •Lipitor *Norvasc •Vytorin *Plavix and many others, for much less than you’re paying now. Please call us today to find out how Community Health Works can help. (A Community Health Works staff person will conduct a free, confidential eligibility screening. If you are eligible and choose to participate in the program, a nominal mem bership fee will be charged.) Community Health Works A Regional Center for Health Innovation 478-994-1914
