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Ap " 113 2022 sReporter
One Monroe brings local leaders together quarterly
Nick Morgan, beside flag, and Tommy Johnston, at podium, welcome attendees to One Monroe on
behalf of Forsyth Monroe County Chamber of Commerce.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Governmental and other
leadership entities of Mon
roe County came together
in the lobby of the new
Forsyth city hall on March
29 to hear updates, interact
and share a meal catered
by Shanes Rib Shack of
Forsyth. The “One Mon
roe” meeting began several
years ago as a project of
the governmental affairs
committee of the Forsyth-
Monroe County Chamber
of Commerce, which was
then led by Todd Tolbert,
as an encouragement for
local leaders to share ac
complishments, ideas and
plans.
Initially meetings were
held on months with a fifth
Tuesday, as was the March
meeting, but Covid inter
rupted the continuity of
One Monroe as it did most
large meetings. Smaller
committees that stemmed
from One Monroe had
continued to meet in vari
ous forms.
With the City of Forsyth
hosting the March meet
ing, Mayor Eric Wilson
welcomed everyone and
reported that he had
received a letter from Geor
gia Department of Trans
portation that the start
of construction
on the 1-75 Truck
Only Lanes slated
to be built through
Forsyth would be
delayed two years
from 2024 to 2026.
The letter also
informed Wilson
that $2.2 million
has been designated
in the project for
enhancements
along the Forsyth
corridor of the
project, including
noise abatement,
landscaping and
irrigation, and
fencing and lighting
along the interstate.
Forsyth has re
ceived a $30 million
grant from the U.S.
Department of Agri
culture for water and
sewer upgrades, in
cluding work on the
water treatment plants. The
project will upgrade the
amount of water Forsyth
can produce from 3 million
gallons/day to 4 million
gallons/day. Wilson said
eventually Forsyth will be
able to produce 5 million
gallons of water per day.
“Well have a reserve
for future growth,” said
Wilson. “Water is the key
to everything.”
He said Forsyth is com
pleting an application for a
Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) to
build new water lines to
the Sunset Terrace area.
The city is also planning
to upgrade its parks and is
working on bringing Pickle
Ball to Forsyth, determin
ing the best location and
the best layout for Pickle
Ball courts.
No one from the city of
Culloden attended the
meeting. Commission
chair Greg Tapley reported
for Monroe County Board
of Commissioners. He said
the Georgia legislature
is proud of how well the
governments in Monroe
County work together. He
said the county is planning
upgrades or new construc
tion at its fire stations in
High Falls, Smarr and
Bolingbroke. It is planning
to build a storage building
behind the library, a train
ing facility at the Sheriffs
Office and to upgrade the
Animal Control facility.
Tapley said the county
has federal funds to help
with water projects and
has been able to add back
some roads it had taken out
of the projects. The water
project includes connec
tions to Forsyths water
system and a pumping
station at Zebulon
Road. He said the
five-year update of the
comprehensive plan
for Monroe County,
Culloden and Forsyth
is beginning under the
direction of Middle
Georgia Regional
Commission.
The new T-SPLOST
tax will go into effect
in Monroe County
on April 1. Recreation
Department upgrades
include a temporary
exit and parking off
Fairview Church Road.
Tapley said the county
raised more money
than expected at a re
cent auction of surplus
equipment.
Tapley concluded by
saying there is momen
tum on a national level,
including the interest
of Senator Jon Ossoff,
in developing passenger
rail through Georgia. He
said tentative plans put the
rail lines through Mon
roe County and possibly
through Forsyth.
Monroe County Schools
Superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman said Monroe
County Schools recently
See ONE MONROE Page6B
Remember when...
Pictured, left to right, are Nolen Howard, Katie Hankinson, Rhonda Clater, Bob Berlin,
Margaret Holloway.
Rotary inducts
Forsyth Monroe County Rotary Club in
ducted new members Bob Berlin, Rhonda
Clater, Katie Hankinson, Margaret Hollo
way and Nolen Howard on March 31. The
Club welcomed Assistant District Gover
nor Dr. Paddy Sharman, who inducted the
five new members into the club.
new members
The Forsyth Monroe County club was
recognized by Governor Elect George
Granade for 100 percent of its members
donating to the Paul Harris Foundation
every year. Local Rotarians Jim Wilcox
and Cheryl Treadwell received Major
Donor pins.
CALENDAR
Continued from Page 1 B
County Middle School will
present ‘The Sound of Music"
on Thursday, Friday & Saturday,
April 28-30 at 6 p.m, and also
at 2 p.m, on Saturday at Monroe
County Fine Arts Center, Tickets
are $15 pre-sale and $20 at the
door (cash or check),
April 30
Autism Awareness
Festival
The Annual Autism Aware
ness Festival will be Saturday,
April 30 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
at the Dayspring Presbyterian
Church campus, 1045 High
way 4IS, Forsyth. The event
is sponsored by the Anchor
of Hope Foundation. There
will be a 5K trail race and
family fun run that morning
and live entertainment, food
vendors, children's activities
and information about autism
resources during the day. For
more information, call 478-
994-0438.
May 6
Forsyth Tree Board
Golf Tournament
The 7th Annual Forsyth Tree
Board Golf Tournament will
be Friday, May 6 at the For
syth Golf Club, 400 Country
Club Drive, Forsyth. Registra
tion is 8 a.m., with tee time
at 9 a.m. It will be 4-person
scramble-best ball. To regis
ter, $75/person, $300/team.
Contact Lyn Sandifer at the
City of Forsyth. Fees include
unch, goodie bag, green fees
& cart and tickets for door
prizes. Cash prizes for top
three teams. Limit 18 teams.
Proceeds help fund the
tree planting projects of the
Forsyth Tree Board. Sponsor
a hole for $50 or donate a
door prize. For more informa
tion, contact Michael Glisson
at Glisson6@gmail.com
May 6, June 3
Boys & Girls Clubs of
Central Ga. present
Duck Scavenger Hunts
The Boys & Girls Clubs of
Central Georgia will host
a Duck Scavenger Hunt on
Fridays, May 6, and June 3
(one rubber duck for each
date). Pink rubber ducks
will be hidden in downtown
Forsyth businesses. Clues will
be posted on B&GCCG
Facebook and Instagram
so be sure to check back
freguently. Find a pink rubber
duck, read the clue attached
to it, and follow the instruc
tions to claim a prize. For
each lucky pink duck you find
and register, we will enter
a duck in your name in the
upcoming Great Ocmulgee
River Duck Race in Amer-
son Park Macon on June
1 1 where ducks are up for
adoption for $20, or 6 for
$100. On race day, adopted
ducks will be launched onto
the river and first duck to
get across the finish line wins
$10,000. Proceeds for the
event will go to Boys & Girls
Clubs of Central Georgia's
healthy lifestyle initiatives. The
Great Ocmulgee River Duck
Race is a win for all involved.
May 7
Jackson-Butts County
Fine Arts Festival
The Jackson-Butts County
Council for the Arts will pres
ent its 25th Fine Arts Festiva
on Saturday, May 7 from 10
a.m.-3 p.m. on the sguare in
Jackson. Free admission and
parking. The professiona
outdoor fine art sale features
award-winning artists in
jewelry, paintings, clay, mixed
media, photography, blown
glass, sculpture, turned wood
and more.
May 9
Monroe County Ama
teur Radio Society to
meet
Monroe County Amateur
Radio Society will meet on
Monday, May 9 at 6:30
p.m. at Monroe County Fire
Station 1,693 Juliette Road,
Forsyth. The group meets
the second Monday of each
month.
June 10
Teen Safe Driving Camp
Monroe County Sheriff’s
Office will offer the 14th
Annual Teen Safe Driv
ing Camp for drivers ages
15-17 at the Georgia Public
Safety Training Center, 1000
ndian Springs Dr., Forsyth on
Saturday, July 9 from 9 a.m.-
4:30 p.m. Cost is $20, which
includes lunch and T-shirt.
Space is limited. Application
deadline is June 10. For more
information, contact M.C.
Sheriff's Office.
On-Going
New pavers at Monroe
County Veterans Memo
rial to be engraved
For those who have been
thinking about honoring a
family member or friend who
is a veteran by engraving a
paver at the Veterans Me
morial on the Monroe County
Sguare with his or her name
and information, it is time to
follow through with that in
tention. It is necessary to wait
for engraving until there are
a sufficient number or orders.
Enough orders have been
received, but the engraver is
now waiting to receive stenci
materials. To place an order
contact Dr. Priscilla Doster at
478-994-9613 PDoster48@
aol.com.
1992
Combined efforts of Forsyth
PD and Monroe County SO
put more than 40 suspects of
illegal drug and alcohol sales
in jail. They were taken to
Monroe County Clubhouse
for booking; a shortage of
space necessitated the trans
fer of 24 prisoners to Laurens
County.
Burruss warden Mary
Esposito is transferred to the
Georgia Women's Correc
tional Institution at Hardwick,
and Hardwick warden Art
Gavin is moved to Burruss in
the midst of an investigation
of Hardwick employees.
Guy Sidney Fried and Jim
Ham join S.L. "Shorty' Letson
in the race for At-Large
Chairman of the County
Commission. George Wilson,
the brother of incumbent
Tommy Wilson who has said
he won't seek reelection, says
he is considering a bid for
District 2 commissioner.
First Baptist Church of Forsyth
has special dramatic services
planned for Holy Week on
Palm Sunday, Wednesday,
Maundy Thursday and Good
Friday.
Forsyth takes the Russellville
Water Plant off line after
finding several state-required
changes haven't been made.
Mary Persons junior Jason
Sterling is chosen to attend
the 1992 Governors Honors
Program in communicative
arts for six weeks at Valdosta
State College. Austelle Hoyt
and Wendy Brunson are
chosen as alternates.
The Rosebud Social &
Savings Club will celebrate
its 35th anniversary with a
banquet at Monroe County
Clubhouse.
Carolyn Reeves has taken
over managing the Culloden
Crisis Center after Sue Smith
relocated to South Georgia.
The Center has clothing,
furniture and other goods
donated for people who
need them.
Mary Persons Paquita Bass
wins a first place at the State
Literary Meet, competing in
Girls Extemporaneous Speak
ing and Girls Essay, and
Mary Katherine Boyd places
2nd at State in Girls Piano.
Monroe Academy's Gregg
Bunn places 1st at State
Literary Competition in Boys
Solo, Sherry Neal places 1st
in Girls Essay and Clarey
Groen places 4th in Boys
Essay.
Bill Bazemore, Jack Fletcher,
Ernest Morgan and Jackie
Coleman are tour guides
for Hubbard 3rd graders on
a walking tour of historical
downtown Forsyth.
A group of University of
Georgia graduate students
in the Historic Preservation
Program compile a 134-page
report on their study of For
syth analyzing more than 600
structures in the city.
2002
Monroe County commission
ers accept the state's offer of
$5.35 million for the former
Tift College campus. Two
days later Mercer University
asks the commissioners and
other government officials
to avoid using the name Tift
College,’ which it says it
owns.
The skyline of Smarr is chang
ing as the concert base of the
Smarr water tower rises.
A female resident of Boxankle
Road is bitten by a rabid fox
and is undergoing a series of
shots.
High Falls residents complain
again to commissioners about
noise and other adverse
affects of the High Falls
Supercross track operated by
Pat Oldknow.
Monroe County gets 26 per
cent of its revenue from taxes
paid by utility companies, 23
percent from property taxes
and 15 percent from local
option sales tax. The rest of
the county's revenue comes
from other taxes, such as tim
ber, mobile homes and alco
holic beverages (10 percent),
and from non-tax sources like
probate court fines.
Participating in the Local
Matching Facade Grant,
Robert Buckley, CPA, replac
es the railroad ties in front of
his office on N. Jackson Street
with wrought iron fence.
The Hubbard Alumni Associa
tion will host a 100th Hub
bard Anniversary Celebration
on April 19-20.
Mary Persons Brandon
Shanks pitches a no-hitter in
a JV game against Crawford
County, putting down 13
batters.
Penny Howard is Mary Per
sons Teacher of the Year.
Bob Meachum is the new
technology education teacher
at Mary Persons.
2012
Mary Persons defensive
coordinator Brian Nelson, 37,
is promoted to head coach
after six years of running
Mary Persons' defense.
T. G. Scott assistant princi
pal Fletcher Johnson files a
civi I rights complaint with
the EEOC accusing Monroe
County Schools of pass
ing over him for promotion
because he's black.
Investigation shows the
firewall between Grits Cafe
and the Rose Theater held to
save the Rose. Forsyth fire in
vestigator David Brown says
a spontaneous reaction in a
stack of cleaning rags held
in a 5-gallon bucket caused
the fire.
Rebecca Pack, 4th grade
teacher at K.B. Sutton
Elementary and wife of
Superintendent Anthony Pack,
is named Monroe County
Schools 2012 Teacher of the
Year.
Heritage Healthcare of
Forsyth holds a renewal of
wedding vows for three
resident couples: Marvin &
Mae Yeoman, Dr. Wilbur &
Betty Neisler and Robert &
Willimena Willis.
Family and friends mourn
Waylon Hampton, who was
killed in a motorcycle wreck
on 1-75 near Arkright Road.
U. S. ALMIG opens its new
distribution facility off High
way 41 near the Chriswood
subdivision. It sells industrial
compressors to companies
around the world.
Minnie Wright, known as Miss
Doll, celebrates her 103rd
birthday. After her husband
passed away in 1964, she
ran Wright Funeral Home until
about 2000, when she was
well over 90.
Woodson & Sarah Thornton
celebrate their 50th wedding
anniversary.
John & Lamyrl Atkinson oper
ate Juliette's Towaliga Plants,
which is a special source of
plants native to Georgia,
including over 20 varieties of
azaleas.
Remember When
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Memorial Chapel
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Harley Ray "Spanky" Beck
86 West Main Street • Forsyth
478-994-4266