Newspaper Page Text
December 14, 2022
MONROE COUNTY
Community
Calendar
Calendar items run free
of charge as a community
service each week as space
allows. Mail items for the
Community Calendar to
Diane Glidewell at news@
mymcr.net by 8 a.m. on
Monday.
Dec. 14
Mrs. Claus to visit
Monroe County Library
Mrs. Claus is coming to a
special Story Time at MC
Library on Thursday, Dec.
14 at 4:30 p.m. to sing,
read and take pictures.
Shell listen for last minute
wishes to take back to
Santa. Pre-registration is
recommended.
Dec. 16
Fine Arts Center hosts
Jason Hoard & Friends
in 'A Bluegrass Gospel
Christmas
Jason Hoard & Friends
present “A Bluegrass Gos
pel Christmas" on Friday,
Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at
Monroe County Fine Arts
Center, 27 Brooklyn Ave.,
Forsyth.
At a graoundbreaking on Monday, Dec. 12 some of those involved in plans for Monroe Countys new fire station in Smarr grab the ceremonial golden shovels to
toss a shovelful of dirt at the site of the new station to announce that the process of building the facility has begun. Pictured, left to right, are Rebecca Stone, CEO
of Forsyth Monroe County Chamber of Commerce; Joyce White, CEO of Monroe County Development Authority; Phil Ham, member of Central Ga. EMC Board;
Commissioner Eddie Rowland; Michael Smith of Oglethorpe Power; Commissioner John Ambrose; M.C. Fire Chief Matt Jackson; Commission Chairman Greg
Tapley; Commissioner George Emami;
Dec. 17
Gingerbread
House event
1823 Artisan Guild, 30 E.
Main Street, Forsyth will
sponsor a Gingerbread
House Contest on Thursday,
Dec. 17 from 1-3 p.m. The
deadline to register is Dec.
1. The fee to participate is
$30 for families and groups
of 2-3/team. All materia
provided. Funds support art
in the community.
Dec. 31
Nominations for
Community Awards
The Forsyth Monroe Coun
ty Chamber of Commerce
is accepting nominations
for Community Awards,
including Non-Profit of the
Year, Young Entrepreneur,
Volunteer of the Year,
Small Business of the Year,
Hospitality Hero, Golden
Nail and Citizen of the
Year. Nominations are due
Dec. 31; winners will be
announced Jan. 20. For
more information emai
president@forsyth-monroe-
chamber.com.
Jan. 9
Introduction to
Bridge class
The Macon Duplicate
Bridge Club will offer an
“Introduction to Bridge"
class on Monday nights
from 6-8 p.m. beginning
Jan. 9 for 12 weeks. Learn
the basics of bidding and
play at the Macon Dupli
cate Bridge Club, 1070
Southshore Place, Macon,
a non-profit member-led or
ganization that runs bridge
games and tournaments.
The class is free but the
necessary books cost $35.
This course is the first in a
series of three. Sign up by
emailing or calling Sissy
Macfie at sissymacfie®
gmail.com or (478)808-
6575.
On-Going
Heating Assistance
Middle Ga. Community
Action Agency will begin
accepting appointments
for heating assistance in
Monroe and the other
10 counties it serves for
households where all
members are 65 or older
or homebound on Tuesday,
Nov 1. Other income eligi
ble households may contact
the scheduling system for
an appointment beginning
Dec. 1. To schedule an
appointment call 1-844-
588-1552 or go online to
https:mgcaa. appointment,
works/ea/home. To be
eligible households must
document income, identities
and utility bills.
AA meetings
AA meetings are held at
Christ United Methodist
Church, 417 N. Frontage
Road, Forsyth on Tuesdays,
Thursdays & Sundays at 7
p.m.
Story Time
at M.C. Library
Monroe County Library
Story Time has favorite
See CALENDAR
Page 3B
Smarr getting new fire station near
1-75 with Oglethorpe’s donation
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Monroe County,
Oglethorpe Power
and their com
munity partners
celebrated a
groundbreaking for
the new Mon
roe County Fire
Station at Smarr
on Monday, Dec.
12. The new station
will fill the void
created by the loss
of the previous
Smarr Fire Sta
tion, and the four
acres donated by
Oglethorpe Power
for the station
provide room for
future expansion
as Monroe County
continues to grow
in both population
and businesses/
industry.
As community
leaders gathered
for the “golden
shovel” ceremony signi
fying the beginning of
construction on the Smarr
Station, three individuals
who lead the effort to make
the station a reality spoke
about its significance to
the community. Monroe
County commissioner John
Ambrose, in whose district
the fire station lies, spoke
about the frustrating efforts
to find the right location
for the new station and the
positive resolution facilitat
ed by Oglethorpe Power.
“[Commissioner] Eddie
[Rowland] and I went
cra2y looking for land,” said
Ambrose.
At less than one acre, the
site of the previous Smarr
fire station, which was orig
inally built as a voting site,
wasn’t big enough to merit
the countys investing in a
new station at that location.
The old Smarr fire station
burned on Nov. 27,2021
when a fire engine caught
fire after returning from
a call and set the station,
which was unmanned at
the time, ablaze.
Efforts to buy adjacent
land at the site were unpro
ductive, and efforts to buy
suitable acreage near the
site were equally fruitless.
Ambrose said
he was sitting in
the parking lot of
the Smarr Ener
gy Facility one
morning and when
he saw two em
ployees arrive for
work he decided to
ask for their help.
They put him in
touch with David
Penn, Oglethorpe
Powers director of
land management
& facility services.
Ambrose said Penn
worked diligently
with him in pre
senting the need to
Oglethorpe Power.
Ambrose said that
the majority of the
calls answered by
the Smarr sta
tion are on 1-75;
so the proximity
of the property
off Rumble Road to the
interstate are a tremendous
advantage. The four acres
has room for needed equip
ment, including a fire truck
and ladder truck, and room
to grow in the future.
“This is one of the best
things that has happened in
my eight years as a com
missioner,” said Ambrose.
He said he was ready to
give up because he had
worked on finding a site
for so long, but County
Manager Jim Hedges told
him he had to get back out
there.
“I’m ecstatic about
donating this property.
It’s great to work with the
community’ said Ogletho
rpe Power President/CEO
Michael Smith. “We value
relationships with Monroe
County/’
He said that Oglethorpe
Power, which is one of
the nation’s largest power
supply cooperatives, has
a big footprint in Monroe
County, including the
Smarr Energy Facility, a
natural gas-fired pow
er plant and ownership
in Units 1 & 2 of Plant
Scherer. Oglethorpe Power
serves 38 Electric Member
ship Corporations (EMC’s)
in Georgia, including three
with territories in Monroe
County: Central Georgia
EMC, Southern River En
ergy EMC and Flint Energy
EMC.
The Smarr Fire Station
will be built on land adja
cent to the Smarr Energy
Facility. Ambrose said
the land is perfect for the
station for many reasons,
including that it is flat,
which will facilitate build
ing. Volunteer firefighter
Alex Harrison, who owns a
grading company, donated
his time and equipment
to clear the woods from
the front of the property
in time for the ground
breaking. Harrison will be
assigned to the Smarr Fire
Station when it is ready for
operation.
Fire Chief Matthew
Jackson said he estimates
the station will be ready for
work by the end of2023.
The groundbreaking sig
nifies the beginning of the
process to accept bids from
contractors, which will be
followed by all the details of
construction according to
guidelines.
Jackson thanked Ogletho
rpe Power for the dona
tion of land where his
department can maintain
a station with a fire engine
and a ladder truck with
room to expand. He said
the station will be manned
with personnel 24/7.
“Seconds matter when
lives are at stake, and this
will help with our response
time,” he said.
Ambrose thanked all of
those who went out of their
ways to help him in dealing
with the public and with a
big corporation.
Oglethorpe Power has
more than $16 billion in
assets and provides elec
tricity to about 4.4 million
Georgia residents. It serves
151 of Georgia’s 159 coun
ties. Established in 1974, its
diverse portfolio includes
natural gas, nuclear, hydro
electric and coal generating
plants with a combined
capacity of more than 8,300
megawatts. It is owned by
its 38 Electric Membership
Corporations.
Speakers at the groundbreaking for the new
Smarr Fire Station on Dec. 12 were, left to
right, Monroe County Fire Chief Matthew
Jackson, Oglethorpe Power President/CEO
Michael Smith, Monroe County Commissioner
John Ambrose.
All in the family for these
Spelling Bee champions
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The Banks household is home to two
reigning Monroe County Spelling Bee
champions. Sisters Savannah Grace Banks
and Caroline Banks both hold the dis
tinction of being the best spellers in their
schools.
Savannah Grace won the annual Spelling
Bee at Monroe County Middle School, and
Caroline won the Hubbard Elementary
School Spelling Bee.
The two Queen Bees will face off against
one another in the Monroe County
Schools District Spelling Bee in January,
hopefully enroute to the region and state
spelling bees. The two champion spellers
are the daughters of Kimmie & Kenny
Banks.
This is the third school spelling bee win
for Savannah Grace, who is in 7th grade.
This win came for Caroline, who is in 4th
grade, in the first year that she was eligible
to compete. Their mother said that the
sisters faced some stiff competition in their
respective spelling bees; the Middle School
bee went for 23 rounds and lasted two and
a half hours while the Hubbard Elementa
ry bee lasted almost two hours.
Kimmie said the whole family is excited
and that there is a lot of “smack talking”
going on. Caroline has been listening to
Savannah Grace practice for spelling bees
for the last three years, and now the two
sisters can practice together.
Trouble in the Hive? Kenny and Kimmie Banks must man
age to root for both of their daughters, Savannah Grace,
left, and Caroline, in the district spelling bee.