Newspaper Page Text
More from the Community
immimmmimiiiiiMiimiimmmiMmmmmmimmimiiimiMmmmimMMiimimmmmiimmmmmiiimmiiMfflMimmiiiiiiimmiimmmmii
High Falls community gets updates
The Monroe County Reporter • May 2, 2018
5D
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Those who attended High
Falls Lake Associations
quarterly meeting on April
19 were able to hear and
ask questions of a state leg
islator, commissioners from
two counties and represen
tatives of Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office and code
enforcement. They also met
the new High Falls park
ranger and heard reports
of the lake’s water quality
and activities to protect the
environment around the
lake. HFLA packed a lot of
information into a meet
ing that was less than two
hours and even included
good food.
New state funds could
benefit High Falls
Georgia Rep. Susan
Holmes said she has
enjoyed getting to know
people in High Falls over
her eight years of represent
ing them in the Georgia
House and wants to hear
from them over the four
years of her next term, as
she has no opposition in
the 2018 election. She char
acterized the legislative ses
sion from Jan 10-March 29
as one when little got done
because of the politicians
looking toward upcoming
elections for governor, lieu
tenant governor, senators
and representatives.
“Bills didn’t get through
that we hoped would,” she
said.
In passing the state’s $26
billion budget, legislators
added funds for school
security and for transporta
tion. Almost $2 billion was
designated for improving
traffic in metro Atlanta and
in rural Georgia. Holmes
said that meeting at the
state capital kept legislators
aware that traffic in Atlanta
is “an absolute nightmare.”
Legislators reduced the
state income tax rate from 6
percent to 5.75 percent ef
fective in 2019 in response
to changes in federal in
come tax. They streamlined
the process of adoption
and addressed ‘hands free
driving.’ Holmes said her
question of legislating cell
phone use when driving
is how to enforce it. She
felt that state lawmakers
became more aware of the
importance of rural hospi
tals during the session.
“Broadband is my pas
sion,” said Holmes. “The
state is not really respon
sible, but we can make it
happen.”
She said an example is tax
credits for improving in
frastructure. She noted that
EMC’s want to be involved
in getting internet access to
rural areas and the legisla
ture is opening opportuni
ties for them to become
part of the answer.
Holmes told the HFLA
about the Georgia Stew
ardship Act (HR 238) that
designates that 75 percent
of tax collected on sales
of outdoor recreational
equipment will go toward
conservation projects,
such as at state parks. The
bill was forwarded to the
governor’s desk for signa
ture on April 5. Bud Queen
said that a local project he
would like to see would
be a put in/take out ramp
on the Towaliga River at
the bridge on Highway 42.
He said there is a beautiful
ramp at Highway 83 on the
Ocmulgee River, but there
are no local funds to build
one at Hwy. 42.
Queen said the river is
beautiful and safe for canoe
trips but there is not easy or
safe access. He said the state
has a ramp building project
but has more requests than
it has capabilities. Holmes
said it sounds like a project
that funds from HB 238
can be applied to. She com
mented that the state has
more money than it has
had in a long time.
HFLA President Bob
Chappell thanked Holmes
for providing weekly
reports on the legislative
session.
“Sometimes it’s hard to
know what is going on,
even if you’re there,” said
Holmes.
Lamar County actions
affect High Falls
Lamar County com
missioner Robert Heiney
introduced himself, noting
that his district includes a
relatively small part of the
High Falls area. He found
that at least two residents
of his district were at the
HFLA meeting. Others
said that the district Heiney
represents also includes
creeks and streams that
flow into High Falls Lake,
and activities that affect
those waterways are of
interest to HFLA. He was
asked to help provide a site
for recyclables and trash
available for Lamar County
residents in the area, possi
bly arranging something in
cooperation with Monroe
County.
One Lamar resident com
mented on what a good job
the Monroe County road
department had done in
quickly fixing a rutted road
leading into the Lamar
County area when he called
about it after heavy rains.
TSPLOST, SPLOST will
be on ballots
Monroe County Com
missioner George Emami
said he wants to be respon
sive to his constituents in
High Falls and asked for
input on issues. He said
that they can vote on a
regional TSPLOST on
May 22. Monroe County
has five projects listed in
the 11-county TSPLOST
region.
The TSPLOST will
pass or fail on the votes
throughout the 11 counties,
and Monroe County will
add another 1 percent to its
sales tax if it passes region
ally, even if a majority of
Monroe County voters are
against it. Emami said that
Forsyth Mayor Eric Wilson,
who was on the regional
committee that approved
the list of projects for the
TSPLOST and decided to
put it on the May ballot,
feels that Monroe County
will get at least as much for
projects as it will collect in
sales tax.
Emami said that one con
cern for him is that Monroe
County’s SPLOST, which
will expire in 2019, will be
on the ballot for another six
years of collection in No
vember. Voters approved
the 1 percent ESPLOST for
education last November,
and he is worried that vot
ers will tire of approving
taxes.
Me> State Farm
Charlie Pelt, Agent
12 E. Johnston Street
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-9600
Charlie@ForsythGAInsurance.com
• Auto * Home ♦ Life
• Long Term Care • Medicare Supplement
* Vehicle Loans ■ Mortgages
Call for a quote today! Save up to 40%!
SPLOST has been an
asset for Monroe County,
especially since a portion
of the tax comes from
travelers stopping off 1-75,
and Emami said the county
has a number of projects it
would like to complete with
SPLOST money over the
next six years, such as road
department equipment,
emergency service vehicles,
completion of the Fire
Station on Juliette Road,
expansion of the recreation
department, a government
building downtown that
would free up space in the
Justice Center, and replac
ing patrol cars, some of
which have 350,000 miles
on them.
The county is now setting
its list of SPLOST projects
and prioritizing them. It is
expecting to collect at least
$20 million over six years
from the local SPLOST if it
passes. When Emami asked
for a show of hands, the
majority of those present
indicated support for both
the TSPLOST and SPLOST.
Emami said that as he
talks with citizens in the
High Falls area, the con
cerns he hears most often
are those involving code
enforcement. He urged
residents to report prob
lems to Monroe County
code enforcement and to
report unlawful activity to
the Sheriff’s Office. He also
asked them to take a fresh
look at their community
in case there are violations
they have seen so long
that they’ve gotten used to
them.
“You own this commu
nity)’ said Emami. “Don’t
be afraid to call.”
Code enforcement of
ficer welcomes input
Monroe County Code
Enforcement Officer Jeff
Wilson said he gets 20-30
calls each day from around
Monroe County. He tries
to check out every com
plaint. He urged those with
concerns to complete the
on-line form so that he
will have a record of the
concern, making it less
likely to get pushed to the
side. He said that callers
and those who complete
on-line forms can remain
anonymous.
Wilson said he is focus
ing on trash, unkept yards,
abandoned vehicles and
abandoned houses because
they are violations within
his jurisdiction and they
make an impact on the
whole community. He
said complaints about a
neighbor’s tree falling into
your yard, someone’s dog
coming into your yard or
a fence being too close to
the property line are civil
matters. Concerns involv
ing criminal activity, like
gunshots being fired, are
referred to law enforce
ment.
Wilson said it is surpris
ingly hard to find owners
of abandoned houses,
especially those who are
not paying taxes on the
property. But code enforce
ment is trying to remedy
unhealthy, unsanitary situa
tions. He said that one run
down property on a street
quickly becomes two, then
three and more.
With 85 percent of Mon
roe County zoned agricul
ture, which provides few
restrictions on land use,
Wilson is trying to change
some zoning to residential
to better reflect how some
property is used and put
more restrictions in place.
He said he is trying to get
rid of junk vehicles and
piled up garbage in yards. If
a vehicle has a current tag,
it is not considered junk;
it must have insurance to
have a current tag.
Lt. Lawson Bittick of
Monroe County Sheriff’s
Office support services up
dated the crime situation in
the High Falls area. He said
that one arrest has been
made for sign thefts, but he
believes there is at least one
more person involved. The
signs around Freeman and
Lassiter Roads have been
replaced about 15 times.
With summer coming,
Bittick said the Sheriff’s
Office will be watching for
criminals entering autos in
the High Falls area, which
is often a problem at the
State Park and the Water
Slide. He said people come
off 1-75 and look for targets,
especially to take credit
cards for purchases and
identity theft. He cautioned
to hide valuables whenever
parked in a public place. He
said home burglaries also
increase in the summer
and cautioned to be careful
not to put out anything in
the trash that might attract
someone looking to steal.
Bittick said that all tips
from citizens on drug
activity are appreciated.
He noted that one location
mentioned to him at a pre
vious HFLA meeting was
already under investigation
at the time and has since
been shut down.
Lake residents block
Five Below warehouse
Joe Reed, president of the
Brushy Creek Homeown
ers Association, reported
that because of the input
of Brushy Creek resident
Danny Smith, Five Below
decided against building
a warehouse at Riverview
Park, an industrial park
owned by the Butts County
Industrial Development
Authority which includes
land in Monroe, Lamar and
Butts counties. The planned
site for the 3.319 million
square foot warehouse was
near High Falls Lake. The
operation anticipated use
of29,000 gallons of water/
sewer per day and would
have generated runoff into
the lake.
The site for the Five
Below warehouse was
near Short Road, within
100 ft. of Brushy Creek
subdivision. Although the
industrial park has been
developed for warehousing,
Reed hopes to see a differ
ent type of development
on the land. The plan for
the Five Below warehouse
included 1,100 parking
spaces. He said that HFLA
hired a consultant a couple
of years ago to produce a
document to protect the
lake by going beyond the
environmental rules that
the counties set.
“We need a strong
organization for just this
purpose,” said Catherine
Crusan, encouraging
Above: Monroe County
commissioner George
Emami, left, explains
upcoming TSPLOST and
county SPLOST votes at
the HFLA meeting April
19.
Left: Georgia Rep. Susan
Holmes, left, and HFLA
president Bob Chappell
listen to questions from
those attending the
HFLA quarterly meeting.
(Photos/Diane Glidewell)
HFLA members to recruit
new members. The mem
bership fee is $25 per year.
There are currently about
40 members, but the calling
post and informational
emails are sent to about 126
recipients.
High Falls Lake is
healthy
Volunteers with HFLA
test the water in and near
High Falls Lake at five loca
tions. All results are good,
including the last tests on
March 30. The tests show
the lake to be one of the
healthiest in Georgia. E
coli tests show the lake safe
for swimming at all five
locations. The volunteers
will get re-certified in the
next few months, prob
ably in July and additional
volunteers are invited to get
certified and help with the
water tests.
New High Falls Park
ranger Steven Partin was
introduced at the meeting.
He has been the ranger
since January but has been
at High Falls as assistant
ranger for about a year and
a half.
BBQ& Yard Sale
Ralph Burris reminded
everyone that the High
Falls Fire Station will
have its Annual Barbecue
and Yard Sale on Memo
rial Day Weekend, at the
end of May. All proceeds
support the fire station.
Donations for the yard sale
are needed. Volunteers
cook the barbecue, which
has a reputation for being
outstanding, according to
Burris, Paul Holmes and
others present. Plates are
$9 and include Cole slaw,
baked beans, drinks and
all the trimmings with the
slow cooked meat.
Caldwell Veterinary Hospital, LLC
Butler Caldwell, DVM
951 Hwy 41 South • Forsyth, GA 31029
www. caldwellvet .com
■ Preventative Medicine including
vaccines, flea,tick and heartworm medications.
■ Comprehensive medical management,
including diabetes and heart disease
■ Surgery • Boarding
The Standard of
Veterinary Excellence
BRYANT'S COLLISION
FULL SERVICE COLLISION REPAIR CENTER
Locally Owned and Operated
• Full Service Collision Center
> 40 Years Combined Experience
> Certified Technicians
• We Work With All Insurance Companies
• FREE Estimates!
177 N. Indian Springs Drive • Forsyth, GA
Phone: 478-974-0680 • Fax: 478-974-0640
405 College Street • Forsyth, GA
A TRANE COMFORT
SPECIALIST IS AS
RELIABLE AS THE
TRANE THEY ARE
INSTALLING.
We are DET and BPI certified for testing your
home and duct work for air tightness.
• Service On All Brands
• Replacement
& Repairs
• New Construction
• Remodeling
• Custom Designed
Metal Duct Systems
• Zoned Systems
•Trane Communicating
Systems
„ „ Don Etheridge, Owner
Over 30 Years « ’
Experience 478-994-0647
Call for a quote today.
Subject to credit approval, see store for details.
Residential
Commercial
VISA
VOTED BEST HEATING & AIR COMPANY 2017
CN210533