Newspaper Page Text
Page 4B
Reporter
January 12, 2022
Five Monroe teachers win Southern Rivers’ Bright Ideas grants
Southern Rivers Energy
(SRE) and the Southern
Rivers Energy Trust Inc.
awarded a total of $15,286
to local teachers to fund
innovative lesson plans for
students.
From a pool of 49 appli
cants, 19 teachers were sur
prised with gifts and checks
ranging from $604 to
$ 1,000 by members of the
Bright Ideas Brigade. This
year, 13 different schools in
Lamar, Meriwether, Mon
roe, Pike, Spalding and
Upson counties received
grants.
SREs annual Bright Ideas
program gives educators
the opportunity to apply for
special project funds, not
often available in tightly
budgeted school systems.
Since the programs incep
tion in 2007, more than
$215,000 has been awarded
to local teachers, giving
them the power to put their
creative teaching ideas into
action.
Earlier in the year,
certified teachers in pre-K
through 12th grade (public
or private) in Bibb, Coweta,
Crawford, Lamar, Meri
wether, Monroe, Pike,
Spalding and Upson coun
ties were asked to submit
proposals for classroom
projects. Without know
ing the names of schools
or the educators involved,
two retired teachers
rated requests according
to creativity, uniqueness
of experience, teamwork,
goals and learning objec
tives, potential to benefit
future students and student
involvement.
Bright Ideas is funded
through SREs Operation
Round Up program, in
which members volunteer
to round up their monthly
electric bill to the nearest
dollar. The extra change
collected from each par
ticipating member goes to
Southern Rivers Energy
Trust Inc. and is distrib
uted by a volunteer board
in the form of community
and individual grants, as
well as Bright Ideas grants
and scholarships for local
students.
Teachers are encour
aged to begin making
plans now for 2022 project
submissions. Applications
will be available online at
southernriversenergy.com
in April 2022 and must
be completed before the
beginning of September
2022.
Monroe County’s 2021
winners are: Kristy Cal
houn, Mary Persons High
School, $870; Ciara Chung,
Mary Persons High School,
$870; Kimberlie Har
ris, Hubbard Elementary
School, $968.29; Candice
Lewis, Monroe County
Middle School, $951.70;
Elizabeth Selman, Hubbard
Elementary School, $1,000
Update
on Beau’s
wish to
enforce
leash law
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
In November Cheryl Heath told the Re
porter the story of her two Great Pyrenees
dogs being attacked near her home by
dogs belonging to neighbor Eddie Hopper.
For several years Heath had problems with
Hoppers dogs (not always the same dogs)
harassing her and her animals.
The attack on Oct. 21 injured 12-year-
old Whiskey so that he could no longer
walk and had to be euthanized and left
one-year-old Beau with two puncture
wounds on his belly and apparent grief
for his Pyrenees companion. It left Heath
missing Whiskey, with hundreds of dollars
in vet bills and with no resolution to the
problem of vicious dogs on his property.
Heath learned that when Hopper was to
appear in court on Jan. 5 on the citation
for violating Monroe County’s leash law
and for not having proof of rabies vaccina
tions for his animals, he didn’t show up
and a bench warrant was issued for him.
She said the case had been scheduled
for last month but was continued. In the
interval, Monroe County Animal Control
had been called again because Hopper’s
dogs were running loose in the neighbor
hood. The responders videotaped the dogs
running loose.
Heath said Little Beau Bear is doing
fine physically now but still acts differ
ently than he did before the roaming dogs
injured him and his companion. Heath
said he “went ballistic” when he heard the
video of the roaming dogs.
Heath has learned that Animal Control
has no law enforcement authority. It must
wait for a sheriff’s deputy to issue a cita
tion. Heath worries that the judge who will
see Hopper after he is picked up on the
bench warrant won’t know that the dogs
were running loose again. Several neigh
bors have been harassed by Hopper’s dogs
over the years, and the multiple complaints
need to be compiled as law enforcement
deals with the problem. Monroe County
commissioners need to know about the
problems so they can pass ordinances that
will protect citizens and their pets.
“Everyone just needs to work together,”
said Heath. “I’m going to keep on it.”
Coincidentally, on the same day that
Heath called The Reporter with an update
an article appeared in the Reporter on an
unrelated arrest of Hopper on Dec. 16 for
receiving stolen property. The incident
that resulted in the arrest involved his al
legedly threatening to kill his niece. [Jan. 5
Reporter, page 4C).
County still looking for
new hospital board member
Monroe County commissioners are
looking to replace Dr. Craig Caldwell,
a long-time member of the Hospital
Authority of Monroe County.
District 3 commissioner John Am
brose said at a Jan. 4 meeting that it was
time for some new faces
on the county’s boards.
Commissioners said that
Caldwell, who’s been on
the board for decades and
whose term was up, was
the staff appointee to the
hospital board and thus
would need to be replaced
by a hospital staff member.
Ambrose motioned to
appoint Monroe County
Hospital director of nurs
ing Casey Fleckenstein.
“I like a nurse being on
there because they know
more about what’s going
on anyway” said Ambrose.
However hospital authority member
Kerri Swearingen, whose term was also
up but who was reappointed, said that
the staff appointment had to be a doctor.
Caldwell and Swearingen were both at
the meeting. Ambrose said he thought it
could be any hospital employee and his
motion passed unanimously. However
county attorney Ben Vaughn, Caldwell’s
nephew, has now clarified that the ap
pointee must indeed be a doctor with
privileges at Monroe County Hospital.
Commissioners have asked for a list of
which doctors would be
eligible to be appointed to
the authority.
The actions are the
latest dust up between
commissioners and
the hospital authority.
Hospital officials have
already complained after
commissioners zeroed
out its supplement to the
hospital for 2022, saying
the facility had enough
funds in COVID payouts.
Commissioners will
likely try to fill Caldwell’s
post again at their called
meeting at 9 a.m. on Thurs
day, Jan. 13.
Also at that Jan. 4 meeting comission-
ers replaced retired pharmacist Hugh
Cromer with family nurse practitio
ner Lori Starr on the county Board of
Health. Cromer’s term had expired.
CALDWELL
The Reporter is happy to publish birth announcements
and birthday greetings for children up to age 12 free of
charge. Email photo and information to Diane Glidewell at
news@mymcr.net by Friday before the date of publication.
City renews annual appointments, bemoans trash issues
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
On Tuesday, Jan. 4
Forsyth’s first council
meeting of2022 focused
on required first-of-the-
year business with council
members Mike Dodd, Greg
Goolsby, Melvin Lawrence
and Chris Hewett, Mayor
Eric Wilson, city clerk Re
gina Ivie and city attorney
Bobby Melton attending in
person and council mem
bers Julius Stroud, John
Howard and city manager
Janice Hall attending by
phone.
Council reappointed all
city professionals with the
exception of municipal
court solicitor Amy Boyer,
who resigned effective
Dec. 31. Council appointed
attorney Dustin Buttigieg
in Boyer’s place. Buttigieg
applied for the position of
solicitor at the same salary
as previously paid, $1,750/
month. Attorneys Joseph
Prine Jr. of Macon and
Curtis Jenkins of Forsyth
also applied for the posi
tion, but Jenkins’ applica
tion wasn’t received until
the day before the council
meeting. Chief municipal
court judge Alyssa Peters
had already recommended
Buttigieg.
Other professional reap
pointments were Ivie as
custodian of records, Peters
as chief municipal court
judge, Ashley Deadwyler-
Heuman as municipal
court judge, Frank “Buck”
Wilder as alternate mu
nicipal court judge, Natalie
Sundeen as municipal
court public defender,
Georgia Corrections Corp
as municipal court proba
tion office, Melton as city
attorney, Hofstadter &
Associates as water & sewer
engineers, Mike Leverett
(Energy Economics Con
sulting) as city utility engi
neer, Mauldin & Jenkins as
city financial auditors and
Charles Grinstead as city
financial consultant.
In case of an election,
which isn’t scheduled for
2022, council set the quali
fying fee for mayor at $375
(3 percent of the $12,500
salary) and the qualify
ing fee for council seats at
$301.35 (3 percent of the
$10,045 salary). Council
approved a requisition for
$18,488 for R & M Equip
ment for module modifica
tions, parts and labor for
the ultraviolet disinfection
system at the Northeast
Wastewater Plant.
In her county manager’s
report Hall said she is deal
ing with an issue of Electric
Cities of Georgia over-
billing Forsyth a total of
$19,000 over several years.
She said ECG is offering to
reimburse the city for only
one year of over-billing,
which is about $3,000.
Hall said the county’s fi
nal counter offer for fees on
use of its Justice Center for
Forsyth Municipal Court is
$l,000/court. Hall said the
city holds about 34 courts
per year. She said she asked
for a no-cancellation pen
alty agreement because her
plan is to move municipal
court to the Welcome Cen
ter/Alderman Hall building
as soon as flooding issues
can be resolved and it is
“up and running.”
Hall said she continues
to get complaints about
the garbage pick-up and
recycling service provided
by Waste Management for
the city. Hall said problems
continue to get worse even
though Waste Management
has said it is working to
address issues and become
reliable with its pick-ups.
She said the city’s contract
with Waste Management
goes through 2024.
“We have to fix the prob
lem. We have to find a solu
tion,” said Wilson. “Waste
Management hasn’t held up
their end.”
Hall said she tells those
who complain to contact
the regional manager of
Waste Management. She
said it’s not the city’s place
to show Waste Manage
ment where its routes are.
Hall said the company is
failing to pick up for some
customers and picking up
at sites that aren’t custom
ers.
“We met face to face in
June, but things haven’t
gotten any better,” said
Melton.
“They haven’t held up any
of the promises they made,”
said Hall.
Hall told council that an
application for rezoning
and an application for an
nexation that came before
the Planning & Zoning
Commission on Dec. 30
will come before council
on Feb. 7. Dodd asked if
someone from Planning &
Zoning could come to the
council to answer questions
about the applications. Hall
said she will invite P8cZ
chair Steve Coleman and
that she has already asked
that more details be added
to the P&Z minutes for
council’s sake.
Stroud said council
needs to do a better job of
advertising its meetings,
both council meetings
and board meetings, like
Planning & Zoning. He
suggested putting out yard
signs advertising the meet
ings because he doesn’t
think that advertising
meetings in The Reporter
(as is required legally)
shows the city is doing
enough to keep the public
informed about meet
ings. He suggested putting
out yard signs advertising
meetings. Hall asked if the
city’s sandwich board signs,
which it uses to advertise
the Farmers Market and
Main Street events, would
be satisfactory.
“Whatever,” said Stroud.
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
In other business, Hall
said that there are a
number of city employees
currently sick with CO
VID, including herself. She
encouraged everyone to
wear masks.
In his Mayor’s Report
Wilson said the latest re
port from the state Health
District that includes
Monroe County shows
10,000 COVID cases in the
last month compared to the
highest number of 17,000
for a month since the pan
demic began.
Goolsby asked why the
Reporter said Forsyth had
recruited the Bitcoin min
ing operation that request
ed rezoning at the Planning
& Zoning meeting. Wilson
said he had addressed
that in interviews with
Nick Gibson of Channel
16 and the Reporter. He
said consultants showed
representatives of the
operation several cities and
they chose Forsyth. The
consultants then located a
site in Forsyth.
“We are working through
the process,” said Wilson.
“We’ll see where it goes.”
The next council meet
ing will be on Tuesday, Jan.
18 because of the Martin
Luther king Jr. holiday on
Monday, Jan. 17.