Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
iReporter
June 20, 2018
Major renovations needed at health department
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The Monroe County
Board of Health learned on
June 11 that the county’s
Health Department needs
extensive repairs and reno
vation.
Morris Hutcheson of
the North Central Health
District, which governs 13
counties including Mon
roe, said the plumbing and
electrical systems need to
be re-done, the examina
tion and conference rooms
are too small, the carpet
poses a danger of spread
ing infection, refrigerated
storage of vaccines needs
to be centralized, the
intake for the WIC pro
gram should be brought
together in one place, sinks
and cabinets need to be
replaced and the interior
walls need painting.
Monroe County owns
the building, which is at
106 Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive, near Monroe Coun
ty Hospital. Ray White,
the county’s maintenance
supervisor, worked with
Hutcheson in evaluat
ing the building and its
needs. Will Davis, who has
worked on the plumbing
in the building previously,
is assessing the plumb
ing lines and will provide
a report and estimate of
the work required on the
water lines before anything
else can be done on the
structure of the building.
Hucheson said he under
1
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The Monroe County Health Department building next to Monroe County Hospital on MLK Drive may appear to be in excellent shape on the outside, but evi
dently has major plumbing and electrical hazards on the interior, according to a representative of the North Central Health District. (Photo/Diane Glidewell)
stands that the copper
water pipes have deterio
rated from the inside out.
He expects the report from
Davis next week.
“[Davis] said it may not
be as bad as we think as
long as there are not clay
pipes,” said Hucheson. “We
can flush the sewer lines,
but the supply lines need
to be replaced. We will run
water overhead instead of
below.”
Many of the fixtures, in
cluding all sinks and cabi
nets, date from the 1950’s,
and moisture has leached
them. There are lighting
problems. The Health De
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partment is responsible for
vaccines from the state that
have to be refrigerated, and
there is no central place for
refrigerated storage. The
breastfeeding room needs
to be near the Women
Infants & Children (WIC)
intake area. There should
be space for a tele-medi
cine room. The building
is at capacity on electrical
power. Floors are stained
and need replacing.
The cost of the whole
project will hinge on how
much has to be done with
the plumbing system.
Hutcheson said the North
Central Health District
did a similar remodel of
the Health Department in
Wilson County last year
that cost $70,000, but it
didn’t include any plumb
ing. The district has okayed
$100,000 for the Monroe
County project. $1,500 is
being spent for a complete
assessment of the plumb
ing in Monroe County.
Hutcheson said that
no county in the North
Central liealth District
is building a new health
department, but nearby
Lamar County is in the
process of building a new
health department for an
estimated $1.3 million.
Commissioner Larry
Evans, who is a member of
the Monroe County Board
of Health, said the county
can help with parts of the
project like painting but
not with plumbing and
electrical work. He said the
building may also need a
new roof; it would be the
third roof the county has
put on the building since
Evans has been on the
board. Evans said a stand
ing seam metal roof, which
would cost about $25,000,
should last indefinitely,
however.
Evans said he does not
think there would be
room for the project to
get on the county’s next
SPLOST, which it is plan
ning now for a referen
dum in November. The
board discussed asking
the county to apply for a
state Community Block
Development Grant
(CBDG), which could
be up to $750,000. The
deadline to apply is April
1,2019. Hutcheson said
that three other counties
in the district are apply
ing for CBDG for health
department work and are
already working on their
applications. Evans said he
will ask for Middle Geor
gia Regional Commission
to write the application for
the CBDG.
Dr. Jeremy Goodwin,
chair of the Health Board,
said that even if Monroe
County gets the grant,
it will not find out until
September 2019 and then
it will be two years before
construction begins while
there are issues with the
Monroe County Health
Department that can’t
wait two-plus years. There
will also be the problems
of re-locating the Health
Department during con
struction.
Goodwin noted there
is also a good chance
Monroe County won’t get
the grant the first time it
applies. Evans agreed, say
ing that Monroe County
is rated a Tier 3 county
because of the economic
status of its residents,
which makes it less likely
to get grants.
Hutcheson said that
when the grant is for pub
lic health services, where
most of the patients served
are low income, that will
take precedence over the
economic status of the
county as a whole.
“It just takes work. We
have to go to clients and
get the information about
the need,” said Hutcheson.
“It boils down to how the
application is written.”
Evans said the county
would be able to provide
a match for a grant, but
“there’s no appetite for a
millage increase.”
“Would you rather patch
it up with $100,000 or do it
right with a grant?” asked
Health Board Vice Chair
Hugh Cromer.
However, Cromer also
said the board should ad
dress the infection control
issue caused by the carpet
immediately. Hutcheson
said the carpet needs to be
removed and replaced with
tile.
Goodwin asked Whitney
Lovett, nurse manager at
Monroe County Health
Department, what she
feels is the greatest need at
the Health Department,
since she works there daily.
Lovett said her top prior
ity is more space in the
exam rooms and hot water
in exam rooms for better
sanitation. She said the
present layout and lack of
space makes privacy and
efficiency during examina
tions impossible. Women
almost have their legs
propped on the doors dur
ing pelvic exams.
Goodwin asked if more
people would come to
the health department for
services if it was remod
eled. Hutcheson said that
Washington County had
a 55 percent increase after
remodeling a couple of
years ago.
The board voted to
proceed with removing
the carpet and getting hot
water in the exam rooms.
It also approved a motion
to present a budget of what
is needed to county com
missioners and ask them
to move forward with an
application for a CBDG.
Hutcheson said that after
he gets the report on the
plumbing from Davis,
he will get three bids on
everything and bring the
information back to the
Board at its next meeting
on Sept. 10.
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wife, Heather, who was
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confirmed Rowlett is a
former bus driver who
began working for the
system at the start of
the 2016-17 school year.
Daniel said he could not
expound on personel
matters but said Rowlett
has not worked since
her husband’s March 27
arrest, and her contract
was not renewed for the
upcoming school year.
Grant said the resi
dence of the suspects on
Old Dames Ferry Road
in Monroe County was
placed under surveil
lance. When the couple
drove into Jones County
about 10:40 p.m. March
27, Grant said Jones
County Investigator
Robert Reece and Depu
ty Travis Walker assisted
with a traffic stop.
Grant said Rowlett and
his wife were asked to
exit the vehicle, which
was a 1996 Toyota
Corolla, and placed in
handcuffs. He said K-9
officer Ella was deployed
for a free air sniff and
alerted on the driver’s
side door.
The suspect then told
Reece there was meth-
amphetamine and a gun
in the vehicle. Grant said
he found meth in a ciga
rette pack and a RG22
caliber pistol under
the seat. The investiga
tor said he asked to see
Rowlett’s mobile phone,
and on it was a con
versation with his wife
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stating that she had the
drugs for him.
Grant said he asked
the suspect if there were
more drugs at his resi
dence, and he said yes.
Rowlett said he also gave
the officers permission
to search the home.
The investigator said
he was accompanied by
Monroe County Deputy
Perry Fitzgerald in the
search of the house.
When they arrived, he
said they found evidence
that drugs had been
flushed down the toilet
by the 20-year-old son,
Dallas, who was at the
home with four younger
siblings.
Grant said a Crown
Royal bag and another
cosmetic bag were found
in the bathroom and
were taken into evidence
by the Monroe County
officer.
“We interviewed all
three suspects and they
all gave their confes
sions,” he said.
The investigator said
Larry Rowlett was
placed under arrest and
charges are pending for
both Heather and Dallas
Rowlett.
Grant said those
charges are expected to
happen when the grand
jury meets June 19.