Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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 [V 1 t \ i. 1 f JF “f a 1 L^^yofi 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)