Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8C
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Reporter
February 25,2009
City: Still no funds for public pool
BY JOLEE VAUGHN
The mayor and three
members of Forsyth’s city
council won election in
2007 saying they supported
re-opening the city’s closed
public pool.
But there will be no
swimming this summer.
Councilman Mike Dodd
told council members at
their Feb. 17 meeting:
“With the finances as they
are it doesn’t seem prudent
to build, and it is too late
this year. Swimming pools
have to be built in the win
ter months. Both pools are
beyond repair. I think a
new one at the city park
would be nice, and maybe
we can do something more
than just a swimming
pool.”
Dodd also stated that he
has dreams of one day hav
ing a water park area and
civic center all in the same
area. Councilman Melvin
Lawrence agreed with
Dodd stating, “maybe the
money will be better next
year.”
The city closed its pools
at the city park and
Kynette park five years
ago citing liability con
cerns. The city does have
$300,000 coming in over
the next five years in
sales tax revenues for
recreation. Mayor Tye
Howard said last year
the city will find a way to
open a public pool once
again.
Also at last Tuesday’s
council news:
• City clerk Janice Hall
recognized and thanked
Rosemary Walker for put-
The city’s old public pool near the
city golf course closed three years
ago and is in disrepair.
ting together the Black
History Month exhibit at
the Hollis House.
GOP moves convention to March 14
LOANS WHEN YOU NEED IT
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
9 N. Lee Street • Forsyth, GA • On the Square
478-994-2505
At 9 a.m. on Saturday,
March 14 the Monroe
County Republican
Party will meet at this
Little Piggy BBQ to
elect delegates to the
county convention. Then
at 10 a.m. the county
convention will elect del
egates to the
Congressional District
and State Convention.
The convention will also
adopt the rules of the
Monroe County
Republican Party and
elect officers for the
2009-2011 terms.
Both meetings will be
held at the Little Piggy.
All Monroe County resi
dents who are legally
registered to vote and
believe in the principles
of the Republican Party
are urged to participate
in this process.
(Donations of $25 per
person or $30 couple)
For more information
contact Jodi Jernigan, at
478-394-1548.
Pregnancy Center
to mark 20 years
The Monroe County
Pregnancy Center will mark
its 20th anniversary this
year with a special commu
nity-wide banquet and
silent auction on Thursday,
April 23.
The banquet, which carries
the theme "Portrait of Life,"
will start at 7 p.m. in the
banquet hall of the Georgia
Public Safety Training
Center. The special guest
speaker will be Bobbie
Kern, a retired corporate
executive, inspirational
speaker and president of the
board of the Pregnancy
Resource Center in
Gwinnett County.
Monroe County's center
has been offering counseling
and support to pregnant
women since 1989. Through
education and service, the
center aims to offer women
positive alternatives for
those facing problem preg
nancies.
There are two ways local
businesses and churches can
help prepare for the preg
nancy center's 20th birthday
celebration on April 23.
First, they can sponsor a
table for six for $100. Those
include a full-course meal
for each ticket recipient.
Businesses and individu
als are also donating items
for a silent auction to raise
money for the center before
hand. The donations are tax
deductible. For more infor
mation call the Pregnancy
Center at 994-3173.
Backlot Players
present Musicale
The Backlot Players
of Forsyth presents the
6th Forsythia Festival
Musicale on Friday
and Saturday, March 6
and 7 at 8 p.m. and on
Sunday, March 8 at 2
p.m. at the Rose
Theater in downtown
Forsyth. This year’s
production, “They
Wrote the Songs”, fea
tures the music of Cole
Porter, Neil Diamond,
George & Ira
Gershwin, Hank
Williams and ABBA,
with an eclectic mix of
music for everyone in
the family to enjoy.
Tickets are $10 and
What’s up with the Fed?
Y bu may have
been hearing a
lot lately about
the Federal
Reserve, better
known the “Fed”, and its
chairman, Ben Bernanke.
You may also already know
that the Fed has an influ
ence on interest rates,
which in turn
influences the
economy. But
there is more to
the Fed than
meets the eye, and
the reasons behind
the interest rate
changes may
interest you as an
investor.
The Fed was
established in
1913 and consists
of a seven-member
board of gover
nors, including the
chairman. All are
appointed by the president
and approved by the sen
ate. The nation is divided
into 12 Federal Reserve
districts represented by 12
Federal Reserve banks.
Since its establishment,
the Fed has become
responsible for directing
the nation’s monetary poli
cy. The Fed also regulates
the nation’s banks and
other depository institu
tions and supervises
directly many commercial
banks. The Fed also tries
to support other financial
markets by maintaining
stable conditions for finan
cial transactions.
Although the Fed has
many responsibilities, most
investors only think of the
Fed as having control over
the interest rates that
affect the U.S. financial
markets. There are many
different interest rates, but
the Fed has direct control
over only one of those
Jason
Jungberg
interest rates, the “dis
count rate.” The discount
rate is the interest rate the
Fed charges its member
banks on money borrowed
for certain short-term
loans.
The Fed also has influ
ence over the federal funds
rate. The fed funds rate is
the rate for one
bank to borrow
from another.
Banks keep
money deposited
with the Fed to
meet the Fed’s
reserve require
ment. During a
normal business
day, a bank may
end up with
more or less in
its reserve
account than
the required
amount. If it
has too little, it
may borrow from other
banks. If reserves are
above the minimum, the
bank can loan the excess to
a bank that is below mini
mum. The market for fed
eral funds determines the
federal funds rate.
By controlling the dis
count rate, the Fed can
influence the nation’s eco
nomic cycles, to some
extent. Let’s look at some
scenarios:
If the nation’s economy
expands rapidly, historical
ly the threat of inflation
becomes a worry for con
sumers. Inflation — the
general increase in the
price of services and goods
— lowers consumers’ pur
chasing power. The Fed
fights inflation by increas
ing these key interest
rates.
By raising the fed funds
rate, the Fed decreases the
amount of money available
to the national banking
system. Banks tend to base
the rates charged for busi
ness and consumer loans
on their own cost of funds.
So an increase in the dis
count rate and fed funds
rates will usually lead to
banks increasing their
lending rates. This makes
borrowed money more
expensive for businesses
and consumers. By mak
ing borrowed money more
expensive, the Fed hopes to
slow inflation by slowing
down the rate at which
money is spent.
When the economy is
dragging and needs an
extra monetary boost, the
Fed “loosens” the nation’s
money supply by decreas
ing the discount and fed
funds rates. By lowering
these rates, the Fed makes
more money available to
the nation’s banks. This
leads to borrowed money
becoming cheaper for con
sumers and businesses.
The extra money helps
stimulate consumer spend
ing and promote economic
growth.
You may want to pay
close attention to the
actions of the Federal
Reserve, especially if you
have interest-sensitive
investments. Your finan
cial advisor can assist you
in understanding how
interest rate changes can
affect the performance of
your portfolio.
This article was written
hy Wachovia Securities and
provided courtesy of Jason
D. Jungberg, financial
advisor, accredited asset
management specialist in
Macon at 471-1111.
Jungberg is a graduate of
Monroe Academy and a
Monroe County resident.
are available at
Monroe County Bank
and at the door.
Proceeds will benefit
the Rose Renovation
Fund specifically ear
marked for cast dress
ing and restrooms.
Come enjoy a wonder
ful evening of great
musical entertainment
by the 45 member
Forsyth Chorale under
the direction of Glenn
Gregg while helping
Forsyth’s local commu
nity theater group
complete the renova
tion of the history Rose
Theater.
CONCURRENT NOTICE TO PUBLIC OF NO SIGNIFICANT
IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND NOTICE OF REQUEST
FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS
City of Forsyth
P.O. Box 1447, Forsyth, GA 31029
(478) 994-5649
Date of Publication: February 25, 2009
TO ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS AND PERSONS
On or about March 13, 2009 the above City of Forsyth will request the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to release Federal Funds under Title I of the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, for the following project: City of
Forsyth CDBG - James/College Street Infrastructure Project including the replacement of
water/sewer lines, minor road widening, and installation of stormwater drainage.
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI)
It has been determined that such request for release of funds will not constitute an action
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment and, accordingly, the above named
City has decided not to prepare an Environmental Impact statement under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1960 (PL91-190). The reasons for such decision not to prepare such
a Statement are as follows: No significant impact on the environment is anticipated.
An Environmental Review Record respecting the proposed project has been made by City of
Forsyth which documents the environmental review of the project and more fully sets forth the
reasons why such Statement is not required. This Environmental Review Record is on file at the
City Hall and is available for public examination and copying upon request also at the City Hall
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
No further environmental review of such project is proposed to be conducted prior to the
request for release of Federal funds.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON FONSI
All interested agencies, groups and persons disagreeing with this decision are invited to
submit written comments for consideration by the City of Forsyth, to City Hall. Such written
comments should be received at P.O. Box 1447, Forsyth, GA 31029 on or before 5:00 PM on
March 12, 2009. All such comments so received will be considered and the City will not request
the release of Federal funds or take any administrative action on the proposed project prior to
the date specified in the preceding sentence.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS (NOI/RROF)
At least one day after the termination of the public comment period for the FONSI but not
before comments on the FONSI have been considered and resolved, City of Forsyth will submit
a Request for Release of Funds (RROF) and Certification to DCA. By so doing, the City will ask
DCA to allow it to commit funds to this project certifying that (1) it has performed the environ
mental review prescribed by HUD regulations (“Environmental Review Procedures for Title I
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program” - 24 CFR part 58), and (2) the Certi
fying Officer, Charles Bishop, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an
action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review or resulting
decision-making and action. The legal effect of the certification is that by approving it, DCA will
have satisfied its responsibilities under the National Environmental Act thus allowing the Bibb
to commit CDBG funds to this project.
OBJECTION TO RELEASE OF FUNDS
DCA will accept objection to this approval of the release of funds and the certification only if
it is on one of the following bases: a) that the certification was not in fact executed by the Certify
ing Officer; or b) that applicant’s Environmental Review Record for the project indicated
omission of a required decision, finding, or step applicable to the project in the environmental
review process. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required
procedure (24 CFR Part 58) and may be addressed to DCA at CDBG Section, 60 Executive Park
South, Atlanta, GA 30329-2231.
Objections to the release of funds on bases other than those stated above will not be consid
ered by the State. No objection received after March 30, 2009 will be considered by DCA.
City of Forsyth
Tye Howard, Mayor
P.O. Box 1447
Forsyth, GA 31029
1
Republican Party to Hold
Mass Meetings and County Convention
March 14, 2009
On Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 9:00AM the Monroe County
Republican Party will convene Precinct (or other political
subdivision) Mass Meetings to elect Delegates and Alternate
Delegates to the Monroe County Republican Party Conven
tion. The County Convention will convene at 10:00AM on
March 14, 2009 at the same location for the purpose of
electing Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Congres
sional District Convention and the State Convention. Addi
tionally, the convention will be adopting the Rules of the
Monroe County Republican Party and electing officers for the
2009-2011 terms.
Both the Precinct Mass Meetings and County Convention
will be held at This Little Piggy BBQ 866 Indian Springs Drive
Forsyth, Georgia
All Monroe County residents who are legally registered to
vote and believe in the principles of the Republican Party are
urged to participate in this process. (Donations of $25.00 per
person or $30.00 couple)
For further information contact Jodi Jernigan, Chairman of
the Monroe County Republican Party at 478-394-1548.