Newspaper Page Text
Page 4B
March 2, 2022
@Reporter
Cheri Dennis signs inspirational
book at Forsyth Antiques & More
Pictured is author Cheri League Dennis, center, with friends Diana
Toney, left, and Lynn Palermo at Dennis' book signing at Forsyth An
tiques & More.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Forsyth Antiques & More
welcomed Cheri League Dennis
to its venue at 816 Highway 41
South on Feb. 24 for a book sign
ing. Dennis has published “Dear
Mr. Ellamae,” a book about her
grandmother, who excelled as
an architect for over 50 years in
a time when women in the U.S.
were denied entry into schools,
like Georgia Tech, where they
could earn the degrees needed to
enter the architectural field.
Dennis said she has long had
a desire to write and that seeing
this work published is a very
good feeling for her. The book
became available in November
and this was her fourth book
signing, plus a launch event at
Wesleyan College, Dennis’ alma
mater.
“I’ve been amazed [at how well
the book has been received],”
said Dennis.
She said she went from want
ing to write to actually doing it
because of a meeting with author
Rick Hutto, a meeting that was
arranged by Forsyth Antiques &
More co-owner Carol Robeson.
When Dennis told Hutto that
she was thinking about writing
Ellamae League’s story, he told
her she had to do it. Dennis grew
up living down the street from
her grandmother, who designed
several structures now on the
National Register of Historic
Places and countless projects
throughout Macon that are her
legacy, and knew parts of her
story not available to anyone
else.
In order to get the architectural
credentials that weren’t available
to women in the U.S. in 1928
League left her two children in
the care of her parents and trav
eled to France to study. Hutto
researched and sent Dennis
the manifest from the ship that
brought League back home,
showing her passage on the ship
and accommodations. Visual
izing her grandmother coming
home on that ship alone told
Dennis that she had to write her
story.
“You will never do a more
intimate thing than write a book,
especially if it’s not fiction,” said
Dennis.
Dennis said she has plans for
her next book, but this time it
will be a work of fiction.
“Dear Mr. Ellamae” is available
at Forsyth Antiques & More and
at various sites on line in paper
back ($9.95) and Kindle formats.
Rainfall total says 2021 was a dry year in Monroe Co.
Monroe County Average Rainfall 2021
9 in.
8 in.
7 in.
6 in.
5 in.
4 in.
3 in.
2 in.
1 in.
Oin.
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
8.49
6.07
-
Hi
—
igi
|2.09|
rm
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Forsyth and Monroe
County saw no water
restrictions in 2021, but
it was actually a dry year
according to the rainfall
totals recorded by Monroe
County Extension, which
collects data from each of
the county’s 13 recycling
centers plus a rain gauge at
its own site. The total rain
fall for Monroe County
in 2021 was 48.12 inches,
compared to 72.36 inches
in 2020,56.54 in 2019 and
84.05 inches in a wet 2018.
The total rainfall is
calculated by averaging the
monthly rain totals during
the year. The monthly
totals come from averag
ing the totals at each of
the 14 collection points
in the county. The driest
month in Monroe County
in 2021 was November,
when there was only .74 of
an inch of rain. The most
rainfall fell the month
before that, in October,
when 8.49 inches of rain
soaked the county. The
second wettest month
was December with 6.07
inches. All other months
averaged between two and
five inches of precipitation.
The driest collec
tion point in the county
seemed to be Pea Ridge
Road, where five months
saw less than two inches
of rain each. The wettest
collection points in the
county were Cabaniss,
Culloden and Russellville
Road. The highest total
rainfall for one month
came in October at Ca
baniss with 12.8 inches.
Every station had
measurable rainfall every
month in 2021. Five sta
tions didn’t report rainfall
in January, but that was
because of damaged rain
gauges, according to
Andrea DiRito, the new
Monroe County Extension
administrative assistant
who is responsible for
collecting the rainfall data
and tabulating it for the
reference of local
farmers, land
scapers, garden
ers and others.
The missing data
should have had
only a minimal
effect on the
overall 2021
rainfall report,
which shows
rainfall of 2.09
inches in January
by averaging the
nine available
reports.
Monroe
County Extension Service
began its system of record
ing rainfall in the county
in 2002. Since then the dri
est years have been 2006,
when the county’s rainfall
was 38.4 inches; 2011,
when the total precipita
tion was 39.24 inches; and
2016 at 40 inches.
The wettest years were
2018 (84.05 inches), 2009
(77.63 inches) and 2020
(72.36 inches).
Besides the rain gauge
at the Extension Office on
Highway 83S (inside the
city limits), the rainfall
collection points are at
Bolingbroke, Brent, Ca
baniss, Culloden, Dames
Ferry, English Road, High
Falls, Hubbard, Juliette
Road, Pea Ridge Road,
Russellville Road, Shi
Road and Smarr. The
rainfall reports for the last
six years are posted on the
Monroe County Extension
website.
BOE recognizes 'Queen Lunch Lady' Barbara Lyons
By Diane Glidewell
news@ : mymcr.net
Monroe County Board of Education rec
ognized Barbara Lyons twice during its Feb.
8 meeting. She was honored for 30 years of
service with Monroe County Schools and
also honored for the exemplary service she
provides to students each day currently.
Lisa Budd, director of Nutrition Services for
Monroe County Schools called Lyons “a true
Nutrition Hero,” who “has blessed Monroe
County Schools students for decades with
the finest of qualities including, compassion,
dedication, loyalty and most importantly a
pure heart.”
Budd said the Lyons arrives early every day
to prepare a fresh breakfast that will be served
on time and overcomes whatever obstacles
confront her in that goal with a “sunny dispo
sition” and “a whole lot of love.” She praised
Lyons for her commitment to feed hundreds
of children healthy meals and for setting
“an incredible example for future nutrition
employees.”
Lyons worked at Mary Persons and at K.B.
Sutton Elementary. She has decided to retire
at the end of the school year. Two other
school nutrition employees received service
awards at the Feb. 8 board meeting, each for
five years of service, Rachel Bridgers and Mat-
tie Johnson.
Barbara Lyons,
second from left,
is pictured with
Superintendent
Dr. Mke Hickman,
BOE chair Dr.
Priscilla Doster
and Lisa Budd.
Forsyth splash pad will be closed on Mondays
By Diane Glidewell
news@ : mymcr.net
Forsyth held a council meeting
on the Presidents Day holiday,
on Feb. 21, not re-scheduling it
as it had the meeting set for the
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in
January, but it covered its agenda
and adjourned the meeting in
barely 30 minutes. It almost
seemed to be balancing the over
three hours spent at its Feb. 7
meeting.
Council approved an applica
tion for the sale of alcohol pack
age sales (beer/malt and wine) at
the new QuickTrip convenience
store at 240 Harold G. Clarke
Parkway. No one spoke either for
or against the application, and
there was no discussion about it
by council members.
Representatives of the Middle
Georgia Regional Commission
Joe Black and Greg Boike told
council they are beginning the
process of updating the joint
comprehensive plan for Monroe
County, Forsyth and Culloden
that is required by the state every
five years. They gave a timeline
of beginning public engage
ment in March with an online
survey, holding meetings from
April-June, in-depth meetings in
July, public hearings in August
and then sending the plan to the
Georgia Department of Com
munity Affairs .They asked the
city to help by giving them the
names of stakeholders and pro
viding sites for meetings.
Forsyth Fire Chief David
Herndon, who oversees the
operation and maintenance of
Forsyth’s splash pad at the city
park on Country Club Drive,
asked the the splash pad be
closed on Mondays this year so
that maintenance can be done
regularly one day per week.
Herndon said that the water
tank and the pad both need to
be cleaned regularly of sun tan
oil, dust and dirt as well as other
regular maintenance. The splash
pad will be open from 10 a.m.-8
p.m. the other six days of the
week.
Council approved the six days/
week schedule for the splash pad,
and Herndon said he will post a
sign with notice of the Monday
closure at the splash pad.
The city didn’t announce the
season’s opening date for the
splash pad, but it is usually open
for Monroe County Schools
Spring Break, which is April 4-8.
The splash pad first opened in
October 2017.
In her city manager’s report
to council, Janice Hall said that
complaints about garbage pick
up service by Waste Manage
ment were down, with “only
20 work orders” the preceding
week.
Hall said she had gotten only
one response to the letters she
sent to adjoining property
owners about the Big Peach
Car Wash building having been
built with less set back from the
property line than required by
zoning ordinances. She said she
has sent out letters as required
for the city’s application for a
Community Development Block
Grant. The city has to establish
that the project will serve a low
income population.
Hall said Forsyth did not get
a grant for which it applied for
its Park Circle Park but has ap
plied for a grant that would be
used for improvements at the
playgrounds and other ameni
ties at Country Club Park and
Kynette Park. The grant is for
$500,000; Forsyth has a plan for
$1.2 million improvements. Hall
received council’s approval to get
pricing on playground improve
ments, which she expected to be
about $150,000.
Hall said there are two vacan
cies for unexpired terms on the
Forsyth Planning & Zoning
Commission.
Hall said she has a list of 22
properties in the city that are
in need of repair, in the sense
of possibly blighted properties.
She said some of the properties
have structures that should be
demolished while others just
need structures repaired or yards
cleaned up. Code enforcement
officer Jeremy Malone, who
compiled the list, has issued cita
tions to two of the properties.
In his Mayor’s Report, Eric
Wilson said he received a re
sponse to his letter to Georgia
Department of Transportation
that said $2.2 million has been
added to the designated truck
lanes project to include enhance
ments where the project goes
through Forsyth. He said it in
cluded a concept drawing of the
Juliet Road bridge making it an
attractive entrance to the city.
During public comments, Wal
ter Goodson asked about trees
being cut in the Hunter Street
neighborhood and problems
with the road conditions. Hall
said Forsyth’s electric superinten
dent Mike Batchelor had a tree
cut that was close to an electric
pole. Hall said the city is look
ing at the condition of Hunter
Street as a whole and that she has
talked with the city engineer.
Goodson then asked how
he could get a bias report filed
related to a violent crime. City
attorney Bobby Melton said
Goodson should go to Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office to file
the report. Goodson didn’t think
that would be the appropri
ate agency in the situation, but
Melton said the Sheriff’s Office
would in turn file the report with
the GBI.