Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3A
Homer officials approve paving bid
BY BRANDON REED
The Homer City Council has
moved closer to completing the Ray
Street paving project.
The council voted unanimously
at its recent meeting to approve a
$184,000 bid on the project that
reflects a paving job that includes
an eight-inch base and two inches
of asphalt.
CharlieArmentrout, ofArmentrout,
Roebuck, and Matheny explained to
the council that the approved bid
would provide for a more durable
roadway than had originally been
planned. The original plan called for
the city’s part to be $159,000 on the
project.
The vote approved the bid and
authorized Mayor Doug Cheek
to execute a change order on the
project.
Funds for the city’s part project
comes from the city’s special pur
pose local option sales tax funds,
with other funding coming from the
state department of transportation.
The council also discussed issues
with city computers working togeth
er, as well as a new copy machine
lease. The council agreed to discuss
the items in a Jan. 29 work session,
as well as a personnel manual for
the city.
The council also discussed the use
of the fuel tanks at the city shop, and
the possibility of selling fuel to the
county from the tanks. One of the
10,000-gallon tanks could be used
for diesel, while the other could be
used for gas. The council agreed to
investigate the possibility.
Alto council discusses garbage collection
BY SHARON HOGAN
Ten residents who live outside the
city limits of Alto have requested
garbage service from the town.
Alto Mayor Audrey Turner gave
a report on this at the city council
members meeting on Tuesday, Jan.
8. She said the residents are on the
city’s water service and they live just
outside the city limits.
Turner said the customers outside
the city limits would be required to
pay a higher rate for garbage service
just like they do for water service.
This discussion by the council was
met with opposition from several
garbage collection companies that
were represented at the meeting.
Anthony Burdge, Sanitation
Management, Alto, asked the coun
cil if the current garbage service
provider was hired based on his
experience.
He asked: “What made you hire
him that night and why did you sign
a three-year contract with someone
you don’t even know?”
Burdge said the bid he submitted
was printed in a newspaper from an
adjoining county and, therefore, the
current garbage service provider,
Michael Harden, Waste Authority,
Carnesville, was able to cut his bid
price to get into the city.
The city accepted sealed bids on
the garbage rates and they were
opened at a council meeting last
year.
Burdge also asked Turner if the
city has a copy of the insurance cov
erage that is required to be able to
provide garbage service in the city.
Turner told Burdge the city has a
copy of the insurance coverage and
a copy can be made available for
him to see.
Harden told those in attendance
that he has not been knocking on
the city’s door asking for these addi
tional customers.
Reggie Hix, Hix Sanitation, Alto,
also spoke in opposition to the
requests from the citizens. Hix said,
“We are here to stop you from doing
this. You are taking our customers.”
Turner said, “We are not trying to
take your customers. We are only
trying to accommodate our custom
ers that are requesting garbage ser
vice.”
The outside garbage service pro
viders are concerned with the city
accepting one new customer, then
their neighbor wants the city to pro
vide them with garbage service and
then their neighbor and so on.
Alto resident Roselynn Mason told
the council that she did not think the
city should take the action.
“We need to be diplomatic about
offering the services,” Mason said.
When asked when the council
would vote on this Turner said, “It
doesn’t sound like we will.”
In other business at the council
meeting on Tuesday council member
Margaret Beaupre told the council
that the Habersham County Animal
Control representative called her to
see if the city needs their services.
This comes after much hard work
on the part of both parties to get
animal control to provide services
to the city.
Alto city council holds swearing-in ceremony
BY SHARON HOGAN
Alto City Council members held
a swearing-in ceremony at its meet
ing on Tuesday, Jan. 8, for two new
council members and a new mayor
pro-tem.
Alto Mayor Audrey Turner was
sworn in for another term in office.
Turner conducted the swearing in of
new council members, Jacki Bosco
and Kathy Clark. Clark replaces
council member Phil Lomax on the
council. Lomax did not seek re
election in November. Bosco fills a
vacant seat on the council.
After the new members were sworn
in, the council voted to elect council
member Margaret Beaupre as mayor
pro-tem.
Lomax was presented with a plaque
by the council in recognition of his
service to the council.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business the council:
•scheduled a public hearing and a
called meeting for 7 p.m. on Tuesday,
Jan. 29, at city hall. The public hear
ing will be held on an annexation
request from Augustin Paramo for
8.32 acres located on Nix Road. The
called meeting will be held to discuss
the budget.
•received a report from Police Chief
Robin Krockum, who said the police
department received an $11,794
grant from the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security through their
Commercial Equipment Direct
Assistance Program (CEDAP). The
grant will be used to purchase a ther
mal imaging camera.
•heard from Krockum that the
police department has received an
$11,377 grant from the Georgia
Criminal Justice Coordinating
Council (CJCC) through their 2008
Local Law Enforcement and Fire
Services Grant (LLEFS).
Baldwin council agrees to lift burn ban
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin City Council members
agreed unanimously at Monday’s
council meeting to lift the city
wide burn ban.
Fire Chief Joe Roy appeared
before the council at the Thursday
night work session to let the coun
cil know that he had some city
residents requesting the burn ban
be lifted.
“I think it is O.K. to do this at
this time,” he said.
At Monday’s meeting Reed said,
“We have had quite a bit of rain.
It should be fine to lift this ban at
this time.”
Roy said the state only allows
residents to burn limbs, leaves and
brush. Residents are also required
to call the Georgia Forestry
Commission to receive a burn per
mit before any burning is done.
There is no cost for this permit,
Roy said.
Roy also said the Baldwin city
residents are also asked to con
tact the fire department to make
them aware of the burning. Roy
emphasized this is only for City of
Baldwin residents.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Monday’s
council meeting:
•at the recommendation of Reed,
the council unanimously approved
the re-appointment of: city attorney
David Syfan, with the firm Hulsey,
Oliver & Mahar, Gainesville; city
auditors, Rushton and Company;
and city engineer, Jerry Hood,
Engineering Management, Inc.,
Lawrenceville.
•the council unanimously
approved council member Ray
Holcomb to serve another term
as Mayor Pro-Tem. R. Holcomb
abstained from voting on this
issue.
•the council approved the re
appointments of the following
department heads: Daren “Bear”
Osborn, police chief; Joe Roy, fire
chief; Tim Hall, public works direc
tor; Betty Harper, administration
supervisor and human resources
manager and Robert Sneed, city
court judge.
•Roy introduced Dustin Henson,
21, Cornelia, as the fire depart
ments newest full-time firefighter.
Henson has been a volunteer with
the Baldwin Fire Department for
four years. Roy also reported to
the council that he is currently
advertising for a person to fill
another vacant position.
•the council approved the
renewal of beer and wine pouring
licenses for Taqueria El Mexicano,
Willingham St. and Hwy. 441, and
El Maguey Mexican Restaurant,
Hwy. 441. The council also
approved package beer and wine
license renewals for Baldwin
Package Store, Hasty Mart, Inc.,
Hwy. 441 at Industrial Boulevard,
Hasty Mart #14, Hwy. 441 and
Willingham Street, Kangaroo
#3313, Hwy. 365, and Mac’s
Chevron, Hwy. 365.
•the council held the first read
ing of an ordinance to establish a
franchise fee applicable to holders
of cable or video franchises issued
by the State of Georgia; to desig
nate an agent; to repeal conflicting
ordinances; to provide an adoption
date; to provide for an effective
date; and for other purposes.
•the council heard a rezoning
request from Wade Rhoades, rep
resenting property owner Jerry
Tanksley, to have 8.34 acres locat
ed on Hwy. 441 Bypass rezoned
from multi-family to light indus
trial. Tanksley wants to build a
20,000 square foot warehouse on
this site. A local tire distributor is
looking to occupy the warehouse
when it is completed. Rhoades told
the council the warehouse would
mean an increase in tax revenue
for the city and the warehouse
would be using the city’s water
and sewer services.
The council held the first read
ing of this request and Reed told
Rhoades and Tanksley that the
rezoning would be advertised
and a second reading would have
to be held. Reed said the coun
cil probably would not be able
to vote on this until the council
meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on
Monday, Feb. 11. The first read
ing of the request was approved
unanimously.
•the council met in closed ses
sion for one hour to discuss per
sonnel issues. No action was taken
when the meeting was re-opened
to the public.
•the council heard a request
from Mike Murray, of New Vision
Worship Center, to have some
work done on the road leading to
the church. The church is located
off Hwy. 365 on L.C. Turner Road.
The road is both a city and county
road. Reed told Murray that the
engineering work has been done
to pave and widen the road. Reed
said, “Thank you for coming and
we will see what we can do.”
Public Works Director Tim Hall
was asked to look at this issue.
Murray said the ditches along the
side of the road need to be cleaned
out. Reed also said he and Hall
have looking into the issue of
limited sight distance at Baldwin
Road and Airport Road. Reed
said maybe a mirror needed to be
installed at this site. Several local
residents have had near misses at
this location, Reed said.
Got a local news tip?
Let us know at 706-367-2490
THURSDAYTHRU SATURDAY
JANUARY 17 th THRU 19
iTH
Have Underbrush &
Hedge Taken Over?
ENVIRO-GRIND
Can Make Your Property
Have A More Park-Like Appearance.
706-680-0346
www.enviro-grind.com • Mitchell Owensby
extra! 5% OFF
REGULAR AND SALE PRICES ON ALL
APPLIANCES WITH YOUR SEARS CARDv
Excludes Kenmore PRO', compact refrigeration, air conditioners, dehumiditiers, water heaters. Great Price items and other Special Purchases. Otter valid thru 1/19/08.
Arman a
nAid
Weekly Health Tip From Kim Bost
Pharmacist - Owner
Cold vs. Flu
Cold weather brings the “cold and flu” season.
Many times these two terms are used
interchangeably, but there are differences. The
flu and the common cold are both respiratory
illnesses but they are caused by different
viruses. In general, the flu is more severe than
the common cold, and symptoms such as fever,
body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough
' are more intense. The symptoms of the flu
usually come on suddenly. Cold symptoms are
usually milder than the flu and include a runny
, or stuffy nose. Also, colds generally do not
result in serious health problems, such as '
pneumonia. Because the cold and flu share
many symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the
difference between them based on symptoms
alone. For complete handouts on the cold and
the flu and what you can do to protect yourself
from both, come into Homer Drug Co. or Tiger
Town Pharmacy.
706-677-3223 • 1228 Historic Homer Hwy. • Homer, Ga.
Monday-Friday 9 - 6; Saturday 9 - 12 Noon; Sunday Closed
AND FREE STANDARD DELIVERY
AFTER ONLINE OR MAIL-IN REBATE ON ANY APPLIANCE OVER $399 WITH YOUR SEARS CARD
Free standard local delivery on any applionce over $399 after discounts and coupons when you use a qualifying Sears card. Standard delivery Includes delivery within the local delivery area Mon. thru Frt. and delivery
not requiring additional services or time. Outside local delivery area, customer pays an additional charge. Rebate values, local areas and additional charges vary. Maximum rebate value $75. See store for details.
Excludes KitchenAid* built-in refrigeration and Outlet Stores. Offer good thru January 19, 2008. See sears.com for online rebate details.
If
WANT MORE OPTIONS?
SHOPONLINE
PICK-UP IN YOUR LOCAL SEARS STORE /
Sale prices in effect Thursday, January 17 thru Saturday, January 19. Availability of items shown in this advertisement may vary by store.
COMMERCE SEARS OWNED & OPERATED BY
ALLEN & JILL COOPER
2189 N. Elm St. • Commerce, GA • (706) 335-3879
Open Mon.-Sat. 9-6; Sunday 12-5
COMMERCE
Important Deferred Interest Promotional Offer Details: FINANCE CHARGES accrue on a promotional purchase from the date of purchase and all accrued FINANCE
CHARGES for the entire promotional period will be added to your account if the purchase is not paid in full by the end of the promotional period or if you default under
your card agreement. Making the minimum monthly payment will not pay oft your promotional purchase in time to avoid FINANCE CHARGES. With credit approval, for
qualifying purchases made on a Sears card (Sears Commercial One" and Sears Home Improvement Account* accounts excluded unless otherwise indicated) Offer is only valid
for consumer accounts in good standing and is subject to change without notice. May not be combined with any other credit promotional offer. Promotional offers of 14 months
or more require minimum monthly payments as disclosed in the offer. Sears cards: APRs up to 26.49%. but if your account has a variable APR, the APR is up to 31.49% as of
12/3/07 and may vary. Minimum Monthly FINANCE CHARGE: up to $1. See card agreement for details, including when the default rate applies. Sears cards are issued by Citibank
(South Dakota), N.A. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK*": Exclusions apply. See Sears Return Policy for more details. Appliance prices shown are for white unless
otherwise indicated. Colors, connectors, ice maker hook-up and installation extra. No extra charge for dishwasher colors. Excludes stainless steel finishes.*PuR is a registered trademark
of Procter and Gamble Company Cincinnati, Ohio, used under license by Sears. tTotal capacity. Some items may require assembly. See store for details.
SEARS DEALER R0P JAW801C003