Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2008
Voting continued from page 1A
DOT planning to install cable barriers on I-85
by Tuesday, Feb. 5, and no ballots
will be mailed after Friday, Feb. 1.
Local officials encourage citizens who
wish to vote absentee to go ahead
and request ballots early to avoid the
deadline.
Advance voting will be held Monday,
Jan. 28, through Friday, Feb. 1. For this
type of voting, there is also no reason
required to vote — only that the voter
wishes to vote early.
Advance voting will also be in the
Registrar’s Office on the second floor
of the Banks County Courthouse in
Homer. Hours will be from 8 a.m. to
5 p.m.
The presidential primary will be the
only election on the Feb. 5 ballot.
For more information, contact the
Registrar’s Office at 706-677-6260.
Chapman continued from page 1A
various state and local law enforcement
agencies. Although the job is a demand
ing one, Chapman said he has a great
love and respect for the office and for
Banks County.
Chapman said if re-elected he will
continue to dedicate himself to the office
and the service of Banks County as he
has in the past.
The primary election for sheriff will be
this summer. Chapman said he changed
to the Republican Party approximately
two years ago although he considers his
office to be a non-partisan one.
Baldwin continued from page 1A
Fellowship Church member Stan
Crump spoke in the absence of Lee at
Thursday’s meeting. Crump said the
church has a lot of enthusiasm toward
coming back to Baldwin.
Sumner said, “If a church is allowed,
will another church and then another
church locate here. An industrial park
is a place for growth for the city.”
Crump said, “There will be a lot of
people come through here (the indus
trial park) on a daily basis that we may
reach.”
Baldwin resident Linda Caudell said,
“I think we need to separate religion
from the industrial park. How would
the church feel about certain busi
nesses locating in the park?”
Reed told those in attendance that in
the event Fellowship Church vacates
the property for 12 months the special
use is no longer valid. Reed also said
this piece of the industrial park does
not have covenants that have been set
by the Habersham County Industrial
Development Authority. The building
the church is looking to locate in has
also been vacant for some time.
Baldwin resident Phyllis Marshall
told the council and church members
that she cares about these people at
this church and she wants to see them
have a building. Marshall said because
the city has no ordinance against noise,
odor or poisons any kind of business, a
paper plant for instance, could locate
near the church.
Reed said the lease agreement being
pursued by the church with Russell is
a three-year lease agreement and the
church is looking for land to build a
church on.
Crump also told those in attendance
that this is being pursued as a tempo
rary location. He said the church is
currently looking for land, but if they
had the land now it would take one-
and-one-half years to see anything out
of the ground.
Church member Gary Nunnally told
those in attendance that the church has
opened its doors for a lot of people in
Baldwin and they would like to do this
again.
The public hearing was closed and
the second reading of the special use
permit was held.
Council member Robert Bohannon
told those in attendance that he thought
it was wonderful to have a church that
has outgrown its location. R. Bohannon
made the motion to approve the special
use permit and the council voted unan
imously to approve the request.
Caudell asked Mayor Reed could
the public hearing be held and the vote
be taken tonight. Caudell replied, “I
guess we can.” Reed told Caudell that
the first reading on this was held at the
council meeting on Dec. 10.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the Dec. 27
meeting:
•the council unanimously approved
the second reading of a special use
request for Tony Johnson to allow a
new manufactured home to be located
on one-and-one-half acres currently
zoned R-1 single family. Johnson is
asking to locate the manufactured
home on a site where his home burned
several months ago. Johnson told the
council, “I have tried to meet all the
requirements, I hope I have.” No one
spoke in opposition of this request at
the public hearing held at the begin
ning of the meeting. After approval of
the request, Johnson asked the coun
cil, “Can I call them (the trailer sales
company) tomorrow and tell them to
bring it out?”
•the council held a public hearing
and the second reading of the business
tax ordinance for financial institutions
in the city. No one spoke in opposition
to this ordinance. The second reading
of the ordinance to collect a license
fee for banks located in Baldwin was
unanimously approved by the council.
•the council agreed unanimously to
approve a sewer availability letter for
Chris Thomas for a convenience store
he is building on Hwy. 365 and Mt.
Zion Church Road. Thomas has met
with the city’s engineers, Engineering
Management, Inc. on this project.
Reed said the city’s sewer force main
comes by this property from the prison
and the city has to be careful with pen
etrations into this force main. Thomas
said he needed a letter stating that once
all conditions are met sewer service is
available in order for him to proceed
with the project. Thomas said, “You
can see I am going to build on this
property and not sell it. I was waiting
till we moved some dirt to ask for
this.”
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According to the Department of Transportation,
Georgia averages 550 to 600 accidents and 24 to 25
fatalities a year in cross-over accidents. Cable barriers
should help lower those numbers, the DOT says.
Project could be
awarded next month
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
It was a gruesome accident on
Interstate 85 that state transporta
tion officials admit could have
been avoided.
Four children from two separate
vehicles were killed in an accident
on I-85 in Jackson County in July
2007, when a southbound vehicle
crossed the median and stuck a
northbound car. The drivers and
other passengers of both cars sur
vived the wreck.
“That accident could have been
prevented, if a cable barrier was
installed,” said Georgia Department
of Transportation spokesperson
David Spear on Thursday.
Jackson County is now one of
several area counties slated to see
cable barriers installed by the end
of the year, according to Spear.
Cable barrier systems use woven,
tension cables attached to steel
posts and are installed in the open
median of major highways. The
cable barriers have prevented cross
over accidents in which vehicles
traveling in one direction become
out of control, cross the median
and strike vehicles traveling in the
opposite direction — often caus
ing head-on collisions resulting
in fatalities and serious injuries,
according to the DOT.
The DOT will seek bids this
month for a cable barrier system
stretching from S.R. 20 in Buford
in Gwinnett County, through
Barrow, Jackson and Banks coun
ties. That cable barrier project will
be 41 miles and will end at the
Franklin County line.
The DOT anticipates award
ing a contract for the project in
February, with construction start
ing in the spring and ending in the
fall of 2008, Spear said.
Last week, the DOT announced
plans to install 22.3 miles of cable
barrier on I-985 between I-85
and U.S. Hwy. 129 (Jesse Jewel
Parkway) at a cost of $3.8 mil
lion. That project spans Hall and
Gwinnett counties.
State transportation board chair
man Mike Evans said in a state
ment that he intends to push for
similar projects in all applicable
locations throughout Georgia.
“I’m both delighted and relieved
to announce these critical safety
projects,” Evans said in a state
ment. “Anytime there is an open,
grassed center median on a free
way, there is a distinct risk of vehi
cles leaving their side of the road
and striking oncoming vehicles.”
Spear said Georgia averages
550-600 accidents and 24-25 fatal
ities a year in cross-over colli
sions.
In the past, the DOT had the phi
losophy that wide, open medians
on highways would give drivers
ample time to correct their vehicles
in the event of an accident.
But with more vehicles on
Georgia roads, and those vehicles
traveling faster, the DOT recogniz
es that drivers don’t have the abil
ity to make corrections, he said.
And that’s one reason the
Georgia DOT is pushing to install
cable barriers throughout the state.
Cable barriers are also cheaper to
maintain than guardrails, Spear
said. Georgia has about 90 miles
of cable barriers installed on inter-
states and freeways.
“Cable barrier is relatively new.
We’ve been doing it about a year,”
Spear said, while adding that other
states have reported success with
cable barriers.
Cable barriers work in a similar
manner like a rubber band — by
absorbing the energy of an oncom
ing vehicle and shifting the force
of the impact to prevent a cross
over collision.
However, cable barriers don’t
prevent all cross-over accidents,
Spear said. Cable barriers are not
designed to stop vehicles that are
flipping, or tractor-trailer trucks
traveling at a high rate of speed,
he warned.
“But it will certainly stop a vast
majority of the accidents,” Spear
said.
Baldwin recognizes outgoing council members
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin City Council members
recognized two outgoing coun
cil members, Jeff Bohannon and
Mitchell Gailey, at a meeting on
Dec. 27.
Mayor Mark Reed presented a
plaque to Bohannon and said he
would deliver a plaque to Gailey
at a later date. Gailey was absent
from the meeting due to health
reasons.
Bohannon served 12 years on
the council and Gailey served
the city for nine years on the
council.
Bohannon told the two newly-
elected council members to keep
God and the citizens on their
minds and in their hearts as they
serve the citizens of Baldwin.
The council also recognized Tim
Hall, public works director, as the
city’s employee of the year and
the public works department was
recognized as the city’s depart
ment of the year.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the meeting,
the council:
•approved payment of an
invoice in the amount of $8,160
to Engineering Management, Inc.
for November professional fees
for the Park Avenue sewer and
road project. The invoice will be
paid out of Banks County Special
Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
(SPLOST) funds.
•unanimously approved the
renewal of a loan in the amount
of $6,520 at Habersham Bank at
the rate of 8.75 percent due on
June 27, 2008. The loan is for
money to repay Banks County
the last payment on back taxes on
cash flow.
•approved the renewal of a loan
at United Community Bank in the
amount of $385,199 at the rate of
5.7 percent. This is a temporary
loan to roll over short-term debt
on the police and fire buildings.
This loan will be paid out of
SPLOST funds.
•unanimously approved the
final payment in the amount of
$20,648 to Duncan Pipeline for
work on the Dairy Queen project.
This project was funded by a
grant received by the city.
•agreed to discuss who will han
dle FOGIS samples for the city.
This is not in the contract with
Woodard & Curran. Chad Conard,
wastewater plant supervisor, has
agreed to continue handling this
at a cost to the city of $100 per
sample. This will be discussed at
the work session at 6:30 p.m. on
Thursday, Jan. 10, at the police
department courtroom.
Homer garbage
rate increases
The Town of Homer has
announced that the garbage rates
have increased as of Jan. 1.
The rate is now $15 per
month.
BOE meeting
schedule given
The Banks County Board of
Education will meet at 7 p.m. on
the following dates in the Banks
County Board of Education con
ference room: Jan. 22, Feb. 19,
March 17, April 21, May 19, June
16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Oct.
20, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15.
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Weekly Health Tip From Kim Bost
Pharmacist - Owner
We Deliver!
Believe me, I can fully understand the fast pace
of today’s families. Between work, family and
church responsibilities, my family seems to stay
at a steady run! From this understanding, came
the idea to offer our patients an extra degree of
convenience. In November, Homer Drug Co.
and Tiger Town Pharmacy began a free
i prescription delivery service. Yes, we’ll deliver
your prescriptions right to your front door. At ‘
this time, we are offering this service to any
location within a 5 mile radius of either Homer
.Drug Co. or Tiger Town Pharmacy. And even (
better, there is NO EXTRA CHARGE for this
service! We will need to get some information,
so just call the store for more details. Our phone
numbers are listed below for each store. Give us
a call to start this service for your family!
Homer Drug Co. - 706-677-3223
Tiger Town Pharmacy - 706-335-0099
706-677-3223 • 1228 Historic Homer Hwy. • Homer, Ga.
Monday-Friday 9 - 6; Saturday 9 - 12 Noon; Sunday Closed