Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2008
BANKS COUNTY RESIDENTS REVIEW LAND USE MAPS
Approximately 30 people attended the public kick-off meeting for the Banks County
Comprehensive Plan Update on Thursday at the Senior Citizens Center. Here, several local resi
dents are seen reviewing the land use maps presented by Lee Walton and Paige Hatley, Mactec
Engineering and Consulting, Inc. Photos by Sharon Hogan
Comprehensive plan update presented
COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN UPDATE
Lee Walton of
Mactec Engineering
and Consulting, Inc.
is shown presenting
a program to some
30 Banks County
residents in atten
dance at a compre
hensive plan update
meeting. Paige
Hatley also spoke
during the program.
30 citizens attend
kick-off meeting
BY SHARON HOGAN
Approximately 30 Banks County
residents turned out on Thursday to
hear a presentation by Lee Walton,
Mactec Engineering and Consulting,
Inc., Atlanta, on Banks County’s com
prehensive plan update. Walton and
Paige Hatley, Mactec, made the pre
sentation at the public kickoff meeting
held at the Senior Citizen’s Center in
Homer.
Walton said, “Why do we plan? We
plan to identify a community’s vision
of the future, to provide a guide for
decision-making and blueprint for
community growth, to define policies
for a wide range of activities and to
fulfill legal obligation. We also plan
to direct the coordinated, efficient and
orderly development of Banks County,
based on an analysis of present and
future needs, to best promote the public
health, safety, morals and general wel
fare of the county.”
Walton said a comprehensive plan
works to design places for people,
protect natural resources, preserve rural
landscape, protect historical landmarks,
provide access to green space, provide
housing choices, provide transportation
choices, create walkable streets, con
nect the street network, redesign cor
ridors for mixed use, focus new growth
in existing communities and build a
legacy in our communities.
Walton said the comprehensive plan
ning process is a two-part process. Part
one includes the community participa
tion program by developing strategies
for involving the public, and commu
nity assessment. The kickoff meeting
held Thursday is the first meeting to get
the public involved. The next meeting
will be a visioning workshop sched
uled for 6 p.m. on Monday, March 31.
The third meeting to involve the public
is the framework workshop to be held
at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15. Both
of these workshops will be held at the
Senior Citizen’s Center on Thompson
Street.
After the public meetings are held,
an open house will be scheduled and
then public hearings will be held on
the plan.
At the end of Thursday’s meeting,
Walton asked those in attendance to
list some things they like about Banks
County. The first item on the list was
its rural character and another was
the school’s ability to accommodate
growth due to the age of residents mov
ing in. “Banks County is a place people
retire to,” one resident said.
Other positive things about the coun
ty listed by citizens included the two-
acre minimum lot size for residential
and good rail service and access to
I-85. The group also said there are not
a lot of transportation issues in Banks
County.
The first item on the list of things
the group did not like about Banks
County was the lack of attractors for
the younger population. The group said
the county needed industry and job
opportunities outside of the traditional
agriculture opportunities to retain the
young people in the county.
The potential for insufficient water
resources to accommodate or attract
growth was another issue on the list.
The fact that the county is heavy on
residential with little commercial and
industrial to balance out the tax base
was on the list also.
Those in attendance discussed a
number of other items as things they
did not like about the county.
Walton then asked the group what
Banks County should be in 10 to 20
years. The first thing to come up on
this list was to have managed growth
and resources. The group also listed a
balance between preservation of rural
character and new development. The
need for more non-residential devel
opment to reduce the dependence on
residential tax base and to provide
sufficient local job opportunities was
also listed.
The group listed Banks Crossing as
a mixed-use center as a possibility for
its long-term sustainability. Walton said
the area has the potential to support
multi-family housing due to infrastruc
ture being in place and the proximity
of jobs.
A need for parks for a variety of age
groups was listed on the 10 to 20 year
outlook list.
Several residents wanted to see the
protection of the county’s natural
resources and farmland.
School board approves personnel items
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Banks County Board of
Education approved numerous
personnel items during a work
session last Thursday.
Personnel approved during a
closed session included:
•Certified personnel retire
ment:
•Pam Strickland, special needs
director, end of 2007-08 school
year.
•Diane Banks, teacher, Banks
County Middle School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Sheila Taylor, teacher, Banks
County High School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Gloria Rylee, teacher, Banks
County Primary School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Janice Thurmond, teach
er, Banks County Elementary
School, end of 2007-08 school
year.
•certified personnel, resigna
tions:
•Kayla James, teacher, Banks
County Primary School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Deborah Parker, teacher, Banks
County Primary School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Ceceila Parker, teacher, Banks
County High School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Chris Cooley, teacher, Banks
County High School, end of
2007-08 school year.
•Toni Vaughn, teacher, Banks
County High School, end of
2007- 08 school year.
•certified personnel, new hires:
•Alisha Roberts, teacher,
2008- 09.
•Kristi Jo Wampler, teacher,
2008-09.
•Marilyn L. Reed, teacher,
2008-09.
•classified, personnel, new
hire:
•Cheryl P. (Sherri) Blackburn,
paraprofessional, balance of
2007-08 school year.
•classified personnel, transfer:
•Audrey Hicks, six-hour
food assistant, Banks County
Elementary School to five-hour
food assistant, Banks County
Middle School.
•certified personnel: family
medical leave:
•Michelle Carnes, teach
er, Banks County Elementary
School.
The BOE also heard a report
from financial director Mike
Beasley concerning the most
recent Educational Local Option
Sales Tax Fund.
During February, the BOE col
lected a $324,174 check, the third
highest for the current ELOST.
This total was for the month of
December, Beasley said.
BOE recognizes seven BCMS students Monday
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Banks County Board of Education recognized
seven Banks County Middle School students during
Monday night’s March meeting for their achievements
on a recent writing test.
Students recognized included Bryan Campbell,
Trenton Davis, Kyle Ledford, Bridget Marlow, Cori
Martin, Taylor Purvis and Logan Waterhouse.
BCMS principal Matthew Cooper also recognized the
students for their efforts and also praised their parents
for their support.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, the BOE recognized
Branson Simmons, who was recently named the Star
Student for Banks County High School for the 2007-08
school year.
Simmons chose Lesa Duncan as his Star Teacher.
Duncan was also recognized Monday night by the
BOE.
The BOE also tabled a request from the Banks County
Board of Commissioners to use the old elementary
school location during the county’s transition phase dur
ing the construction of the new administrative offices.
BOC chairman Gene Hart had requested last month
for use of the facility.
Firefighters... continued from page 1A
firefighters that will be funded through a grant.
Hart said that he has investigated allegations made by the
volunteer firefighters.
“I have looked into every issue that has been brought to my
attention,” he said. “Most of the ones that have been brought
up that we were in violation was prior to him (Gary Pollard)
becoming chief.”
Hart said the allegations that a convicted felon were hired
are not true. He said a former inmate at the Alto Correctional
Institute was hired but that she was in jail on misdemeanor
charges and not felony charges. He said she had served on
the correctional institute’s fire department.
As far as the allegations that a trained house fire was ille
gal, Hart said that the state fire standards officials said the
only thing that was done wrong was that the county didn’t
fill the paperwork out correctly. He added that the “county
also needs to send two people to get asbestos training and
that this will be done.”
Lawsuit
continued from 1A
County ambulance personnel at the
time of the incident.
According to reports, an ambulance
paramedic said he had turned around
to get a phone to contact the hospital
when he heard Chandler’s stretcher
seatbelt hit the floor. When he turned
around, Chandler was jumping out
of the ambulance. According to the
report, Chandler was talking with her
boyfriend on a cell phone just before
the incident.
Ambulance personnel Terry Dailey
and Stan Wooten are named in the
lawsuit which is asking for $1.5 mil
lion in addition to court costs. The suit
contends Dailey and Wooten failed to
position one of themselves in front of
the rear ambulance door and allowed
Chandler to use her cell phone while
in route to Athens Regional Hospital.
The suit also contends that Dailey
and Wooten were on notice that
Chandler was suicidal, that she suf
fered seizures and that she was men
tally unstable.
The plaintiffs are asking for a jury
trial in the case.
The suit was filed last September.
Banks County chairman Gene Hart
said Monday that depositions have
been taken in the case but he has not
been notified of any further action.
Banks County Clerk of Courts Tim
Harper said last week no court dates
have been set for the case.
Hart said he could not comment
further on the lawsuit.
Egg hunt...
continued from 1A
The Homer event has created
world-wide attention. Garrison
recalls having a newspaper article
from a Korean newspaper sent to
him as well as a front page article
in USA Today.
Sickness prevented Garrison
from being fully involved with the
event last spring but he said he is
ready to go this year.
“We’ve never been rained out,”
he said. “We’ve had days when
it was raining, but it’s always
stopped long enough for us to have
it. I guess we’ve been blessed that
way.”
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