Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 106, NO. 5, AUGUST 19, 2009
LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY
MILLEN, GEORGIA • 75 CENTS
Magnolia Springs State Park is a ...
N atur al
asset
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
When it comes to natural as
sets, Magnolia Springs State
Park is at the top of the list for
Jenkins County. Located 12
miles north of Millen on U.S.
Highway 25, visitation to the
park currently averages over
140,000 annually.
Magnolia Springs was ac
quired by the State of Geor
gia in 1939, and Civilian Con
servation Corps (CCC) work
ers began construction of park
facilities that same year.
A 28-acre lake offers oppor
tunities for fishing and boat
ing, and several miles of wil
derness trails wind through
the pine and hardwood forests.
Visitors have the opportunity
to view Fort Lawton, the larg
est prisoner of war camp con
structed during the Civil War.
Overnight facilities include
cottages, campsites and a
group camp. The swimming
pool is also a major attraction.
Magnolia Springs is the
only state park with an
aquarium onsite. The Bo Ginn
Aquarium was previously
owned and operated by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice. It was established in
1950 as the Millen National
Fish Hatchery and Aquarium,
and later renamed the Bo Ginn
Aquarium in honor of local
U.S. Congressman Ronald
“Bo” Ginn. The state recently
passed management of the fa
cility to the Jenkins County
Development Authority.
The park also has an onsite
museum, located in the oldest
building standing at Magnolia
Springs, which is believed to
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Popular
attractions at
Magnolia
Springs State
Park, located 12
miles north of
Millen on U.S.
Highway 25, are
the natural
spring and
nature trails.
Thousands of
visitors come to
the park
annually to view
the spring that
pumps
approximately
7-9 million
gallons of water
per day. (Photo
contributed)
have been constructed by the
CCC in the early 1940s. Fea
turing three rooms, the mu
seum includes an audio/visual
area for showings of the film
“This Was Camp Lawton,” a
research/reading area and an
exhibit display area. The lat
ter includes a diorama of the
Camp Lawton prison, maps,
artwork and photographs,
books and a small gift shop.
Magnolia Springs State Park
has a rich history that is en
joyed not only by local citi
zens but visitors from all
across the state and nation.
Bo Ginn Aquarium Open House is held
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
A tank at the Bo Ginn Aquarium now
has a new occupant, the winning catch of
the Bass Tournament held in conjunction
with Open House activities Saturday, Aug.
8. The event was sponsored by the Jenkins
County Development Authority (JCDA)
which recently assumed responsibility for
operating the facility.
Open House kicked off with the bass
tournament which got underway at 6 a.m.
Fishermen were allowed to fish most of
the day in their quest for the biggest bass.
When the weighing was done. Chuck
Lindsey claimed the first place prize of
From left, Robert Jenkins, Bo Ginn
Aquarium manager, presents
Chuck Lindsey with the first place
prize in the bass tournament.
(Photos contributed)
$135 with a bass weighing in at 8.7
pounds. Mr. Lindsey donated his winnings
back to the aquarium.
“Thank you, Chuck, for being a caring
citizen in that you not only paid to fish in
the tournament, came to the concert, but
you also gave your winnings back. We ap
preciate it,” said Mabel Jenkins, JCDA
chairman.
Second place winnings of $81 went to
Tyler Taylor with a bass weighing 6.5
pounds, and the third place prize of $54
was captured by Tony Taylor with a catch
weighing 5.7 pounds.
"Our thanks to Tony and Tyler for sup
porting the aquarium by fishing in the
Robert Jenkins presents second
place prize to Tyler Taylor.
tournament,” said Jenkins. “We extend a
sincere thank you to all 18 entrants who
fished in the tournament on a very hot day.
We truly appreciate your commitment to
support our county’s efforts to keep the
aquarium open.”
Open House activities got underway at 7
p.m. with free admission to the aquarium
and a concert by Bryan Clees, an award
winning singer/songwriter who resides in
Sylvania,
Donations to help defer the expense of
operating the aquarium may be mailed to:
1012 Hwy. 23 N„ Millen, GA 30442.
Checks should be made payable to Bo Ginn
Aquarium.
Robert Jenkins presents third place
prize to Tony Taylor.
Qualifying begins
for Millen election
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
Three seats on Millen City Council will be up for election
in the City of Millen Nonpartisan General Election to be held
Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Seats up for election are: Council member Ward #1, to suc
ceed Walter Thomas; Council member. Ward #2, to succeed
Ivey McMillan, and Council member, Ward #3, to succeed
James Ford.
Candidates may begin qualifying 8:30 a.m. Monday, Aug.
31, and continue to do so until 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the
office of Election Superintendent Wanda Burke at the Jenkins
County Courthouse.
The qualifying fee for each council member post is $45.
The last day to register to vote in this election is Monday,
Oct. 5. Those who are not already registered to vote may do
so at the office of the Jenkins County Registrar, Jenkins County
Courthouse.
For additional information, contact Wanda Burke at (478)
982-5581.
BOE names Fries
as bus coordinator
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
Management of the school system’s bus fleet was passed to
Talmadge Fries at the July meeting of the Jenkins County Board
of Education (BOE).
Following the BOE’s acceptance of the resignation of Bus
Coordinator Walter Thomas, Fries was approved for the posi
tion. He has been employed by the school system for 22 years
as a bus driver.
In connection with its bus fleet, the BOE heard a proposal
from Jeff Joyner concerning a preliminary mapping of bus
routes based on a loop concept that would reduce costs to the
school system. The information will be reviewed by the Trans
portation Department with a recommendation coming at a later
date.
In other matters. School Superintendent Melissa Williams
informed board members that through the efforts of the City of
Millen inmate labor, the grounds at the old primary school on
Cleveland Avenue would be cleaned up at a cost of $250 with
the city supplying labor and equipment.
Superintendent Williams also reported that preliminary Ad
equate Yearly Progress (AYP) results indicted that the Jenkins
County Elementary School (JCES) and Jenkins County Middle
School (JCMS) would make AYP. Jenkins County High School
(JCHS) failed to do so due to the graduation rate.
April Wheeler, special needs coordinator and special educa
tion teacher, presented a Power Point on the pre-school educa
tion needs program.
Other actions taken by the BOE included the following:
• Approved Family Connection Grant in the amount of
$48,500 for Fiscal Year 2010;
• Awarded bid to Norvell Equipment for an electric tilting
skillet for the JCES cafeteria in the amount of $12,124 and a
walk-in freezer in the amount of $33,641 with items to be pur
chased with stimulus money;
• Awarded bid for pouring concrete pads at the JCES cafete
ria to Willie Kittles Sr. at a cost of $1,250;
• Placed Board Policy GBRG concerning Federal Family and
Medical Leave Act on the table for action at the next BOE
meeting;
• Placed on the table for action at the next BOE meeting
Board Policy, Loss Prevention;
• Approved drafts of student handbooks for 2009-2010 year;
• Approved fundraising activities for JCES and JCHS;
• Accepted the resignation of Kristina Parker, JCMS teacher;
• Approved salary changes for Jenkins County Family En
richment Center personnel; and
• Approved the employment of Anthony Dixon as a parapro-
fessional at the Crossroads Alternative School.
Woman dies in
house fire
Early morning fog shrouds a home on West Old Savannah
Road which was the scene of a fire Sunday night, Aug. 16,
that claimed the life of Martha Ransom. The fire was dis
covered by a Jenkins County Sheriff’s Department deputy
patrolling the area, said Jenkins County Fire Chief Dwayne
Herrington. The cause of the fire has not yet been deter
mined, and the incident remains under investigation by the
State Fire Marshal’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Inves
tigation. (Staff photo by Deborah Bennett)