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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008
Baldwin officials hear year-end reports
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin City Council members
heard end-of-year reports from
several of its department heads at
meetings earlier this month. A brief
review of each of the reports is
listed.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire chief Joe Roy reported that his
department had 751 calls in 2007,
up 185 calls over 2006. Some 503
of the total 751 calls were rescue
and emergency medical service inci
dents. The fire department brought
in $39,750 in contract fees in 2007.
The department also received a
$1,000 grant from Wal-Mart and
purchased two laptop computers,
one for the training room and one
for the command post.
Fire department staff spent a
week visiting the school and day
cares presenting information on fire
prevention. Some 18 fire inspec
tions were done and walk-thrus on
pre-fire plans were conducted at
over 100 businesses. The depart
ment also got the city in compliance
with the national incident manage
ment system (NIMS) through the
Federal Emergency Management
Association (FEMA).
Roy said for the 2008 budget, the
fire department has brought in a
little over $31,000 so far in contract
fees. The department has several
grants pending: one in the amount
of $180,000 for the purchase of
a heavy rescue truck; one in the
amount of $49,000 for the purchase
of an exhaust removal system; and
one in the amount of $52,175 for
the purchase of a fire prevention and
severe weather simulator.
Roy said the department has start
ed the cost recovery billing and has
submitted 13 calls which could pos
sibly generate $7,800 in revenue.
The fire department sponsored
eight specialized classes for Baldwin
Fire Department members and all
public safety personnel in the area.
WATER DEPARTMENT
Public works director Tim Hall
presented the council with a copy
of the year-end report for the water,
street and collection departments.
Hall said there are 570 work orders
on file for 2007. The water depart
ment is responsible for 73 percent,
or 420 of these, and the street depart
ment 26 percent or 150. The water
department had its water lines hit
four times and had several blow-outs
of water main lines.
The water department upgraded a
couple of problem areas on the water
distribution system and have discov
ered several control valves, located
more water lines, and upgraded
water line blow-offs to the appropri
ate size.
The department is updating the sys
tem on an on-going basis, Hall said.
All tanks, vaults, gates and pump
house locks have been changed to
have a one-key entry. The pump
house on J. Warren Road has been
almost completely remodeled.
The water department has changed
82 water meters as part of the change-
out process. Some 49 new water
customers were added to the system,
this is a three percent increase over
2006.
The estimated water loss due to
leaks, breaks, flushing, disinfec
tion, etc. was 18.6 million gallons.
Hall said this is nine percent of
the total that has been purchased
from the water plant. The water leak
the department repaid at Chatham
and Willingham Streets alone was
approximately 16,632,000 gallons
over a one-year period.
Hall said the water department
is constantly looking for leaks and
responding to them as soon as legal
ly possible.
“We are always walking water
lines to hopefully find any leaks that
the public cannot report,” he said.
“All repairs are made with materi
als that have a proven history of
durability and we have an attitude of
‘we ain’t coming back to this one,’”
Hall said.
STREET DEPARTMENT
Hall said the street department was
also busy during 2007. In the cooler
months, the employees are cleaning
ditches, cleaning out culverts, pick
ing up trash, cutting street rights-
of-way back and improving catch
basins, among other things. Hall
said the street department also deals
with snow and ice whenever neces
sary and watches the weather for
any event that may come so the city
can be prepared. During the warmer
months, the street department cuts
grass. Hall said grass cutting never
stops and when a person finishes, it
is time to start over again.
The street department installed
168 feet of asphalt curbing on King
Street to stop rainwater runoff. This
is an on-going endeavor in the city
limits to rid streets of standing
water.
The street department also moved
countless loads of dirt from prop
erties on Hwy. 365 and City Park
Drive to fill in the property next to
the fire department to get it ready for
a city park.
The street department also headed
a recycling effort on Runway Drive.
COLLECTION
DEPARTMENT
Hall said the collection department
was a bit slow to transition in but is
gaining momentum as the new year
moves on. A priority at the onset
was to stock materials for any repair
that was needed. Hall said we are
about 90 percent complete in that
effort at this time.
Hall said the collection department
has started clearing some sewer
easements in the city. This process
will require some dedication and
will take some time.
Hall said some unknown manholes
have been discovered and they have
been marked, mapped and they will
be raised soon.
Hall said three employees under
went training and continuing educa
tion in the water, wastewater col-
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lection and soil and sedimentation
control fields. A total of 154 hours
was spent on training in 2007.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police chief Daren Osborn pre
sented a report that showed a total of
126,687 miles were patrolled in the
city limits of Baldwin in 2007. The
police department made 2,742 traffic
stops and issued 1,802 citations. A
total of 1,634 warnings were given,
most of these being verbally.
The department made 17 felony
arrests, 326 misdemeanor arrests, 65
DUI arrests, 31 drug arrests and 51
warrant/hold arrests.
Osborn said one activity on the
report that he was proud of was a
decrease in the number of burglaries
from 2006. The department investi
gated 10 burglaries in 2007.
A total of 1,316 hours were logged
for officer training in 2007. Corporal
James Savage was named Officer of
the Year for 2007 by the Georgia
Office of Highway Safety.
Osborn said the department
received seven bullet proof vests
from the Fraternal Order of Police
and received a grant from the Georgia
Municipal Association for traffic
vests and fluid resistant gloves.
Donations were received by the
department to purchase two tasers
and cartridges. A $1,000 grant was
received from Wal-Mart to purchase
two Glock pistols.
The department also received two
in-car cameras from a grant from
2006.
All quiet at recent Lula public hearings
BY SHARON HOGAN
The City of Lula held three public
hearings last week on the consider
ation and adoption of new water and
sewer rates.
No Lula residents turned out at
any of the three hearings held on
Tuesday and Wednesday to voice
opinions on this issue.
The implementation of the
increased water and sewer rates is
scheduled to take place over a two-
year period.
The city’s current rates are the
lowest in the area.
The increased water and sewer
fees at full implementation in two
years will probably place the city
somewhere in the middle of what
other area communities charge,
according to the proposal.
DFACS officials hope for progress on new building
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The wait continues for a new
building for the Banks County
Department of Family and Children
Services, but director Kenny Jarvis
said last week things could be mov
ing forward soon.
Jarvis told county DFACS board
members that he was planning to
meet in Banks County with state
officials of the Department of
Human Resources concerning the
new building. Jarvis said state offi
cials wanted to review with him
the procedures for placing bids and
advertising for bids.
“I know we have been discuss
ing a new building for eight years,”
Jarvis said. “However, it seems all
procedures are beginning to move
forward now.”
The county director said the even
tual plan is to construct a new build
ing near the current Banks County
Health Department.
In other business at last week’s
20-minute January meeting, Jarvis
told DFACS board members that
with half of the fiscal year now com
plete, only 41 percent of the budget
has been used.
The year-to-date expenses are cur
rently at $13,786.92 with $19,997.08
remaining in the budget.
“We are well in line with the bud
get,” Jarvis said.
DOT names Waldrep new district administrative officer
Teresa Waldrep, Lula, has been named the district
administrative officer for the 21 counties in Northeast
Georgia that make up Georgia Department of
Transportation’s District One.
Waldrep has worked with DOT since 1976. She began
her career as a clerk typist. She worked her way up
through the administration division. Waldrep served as
a secretary typist, accounting technician, procurement
officer, administrative services manager, legal services
manager and assistant district administrative officer.
Waldrep is now responsible for the administrative
functions of District One, including personnel, train
ing, safety, technology, purchasing and accounting. She
supervises a staff of 20 and an annual operating budget
of approximately $24 million. Waldrep assumed her new
duties on Jan. 16.
“Teresa is an outstanding employee,” said DOT district
engineer Russell McMurry. “She is uniquely qualified
to supervise our administrative office because she has
worked in almost every facet of the office.”
“In 2005, Teresa won the ‘Commissioner’s Award
of Merit’ for her outstanding work. As legal services
officer, she processed over 160 open records requests.
That’s a 20 percent increase over 2004. I am sure Teresa
will do her job to the best of her ability. She is an asset to
the department and the state of Georgia,” he added.
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