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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008
Alto to apply for grant for police cars
Baldwin to look at trading equipment
BY SHARON HOGAN
lto officials are seeking
federal funds to pay for
some new police cars.
The Alto City Council members
unanimously agreed at a May 1 3
meeting to apply for a United States
Department of Agriculture Rural
Development grant. The funds from
this grant would be used to purchase
two police cars.
The maximum amount of the grant
is $25,000, and a $30,000 loan is
also offered. This would be repaid in
annual installments of $8,387 over a
period not to exceed four years.
Jeff McCloud and Jane Ferguson,
USDA Rural Development, were
on hand to go over the application
process and answer any questions
the council might have.
Police Chief Robin Krockum pre
sented this proposal to the council at
the meeting in April.
Ferguson told the council that once
the application is signed, the money
would be set-aside for the Town of
Alto to use on this project.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the meeting
on May 13:
•the council approved the purchase
of a mini-truck to be used by the
city to cut down on gas use. The
cost of the mini-truck is $5,195
from Swinehart’s Power Equipment,
Baldwin. It will be used by the meter
reader and in other city use. Mayor
Audrey Turner said the insurance
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin City Council members
heard a request at its monthly work
session meeting on Thursday, May 8,
to place a modular home on property
located at 250 King Street.
Lynn Canup came before the coun
cil seeking a special use permit to
allow her to place a modular home
on the property to replace the cur
rent residence her mother, Betty
Lewallen, lives in. Canup said due to
her mother’s health, the home needs
to be handicap accessible and her
current home is very small and needs
a lot of work.
“The house is so small there is not
enough room to do the work to make
it handicap accessible,” she said.
“My nephew lives with her now to
help look after her and home health
comes to help out.”
Canup said she has looked at a
1,000-square-foot home to place on
the property. The property is cur
rently zoned R-2 in the city.
Acting Mayor Ray Holcomb said,
“Are you asking for this in a hardship
case? Would you be willing to move
this home when something happens
to your mother?”
Canup said, “If that is what we
need to do then that is what we will
do.”
Canup said the modular home
could be set up on a crawl space with
a home-type foundation.
“The home will go to my nephew
upon the passing of my mother,”
Canup said. “I want him to have a
place to live after my mother’s pass
ing.”
Holcomb said a special use permit
does allow for a Class A manufac
tured home.
Holcomb said, “If you are applying
for a hardship case that is a little dif
ferent than a special use permit.”
City attorney David Syfan said, “A
hardship case would be a temporary
permit as opposed to a special use
permit.”
Baldwin resident Mike Kelly spoke
to the council and Canup on this mat
ter. Kelly said Canup should check
with the modular home company to
get them to get a guaranty bond that
would state when something happens
to her mother the company would
move the modular home out.
“This would cover the family and
the city both,” Kelly said.
Council member Robert Bohannon
asked Canup if she had a price for
someone to add on to the home and
do some remodeling. Canup said she
did not because she knew the house
would need a lot of work.
The council suggested that Canup
get someone to give her a price for
the remodeling charge, compare this
to the price of the modular home and
come back to the council.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•Holcomb told the council that he
attended a meeting on Wednesday,
May 11, in Tallulah Falls with other
officials concerning the Georgia
Water Planning Regions. Habersham
County is asking all the municipali
ties in the county to sign a petition
cost to the city would be $500 per
year. Turner said, “It (mini-truck)
should pay for itself in the first
year.”
•the council unanimously approved
a resolution to allow Baldwin
Building Inspector Joe Davidson to
inspect mobile homes over seven
years old and make the decision on
whether to allow them to come into
the city. Davidson said an inspec
tion would be conducted on both the
inside and the outside of the struc
ture before a decision is made.
•the council approved Turner to
sign a petition for Habersham County
asking that the county be moved out
of the Coosa-North Georgia Water
Planning Region into the Savannah-
Upper Ogeechee region. Habersham
County is asking all of the munici
palities in the county to sign this
petition.
•the council tabled action on the
proposed increase in the fire service
contact with the City of Baldwin.
Baldwin is proposing an increase of
93 cents per month per structure for
fire protection. The rate would rise
from $56.16 per structure to $67.39
per structure.
•the council approved a correc
tion in the total amount of acreage
on the James and Audrey Turner
annexation request. The original
amount was entered as 13.9 acres,
this was reduced down to 11.7 total
acres. The Turners donated land for
the right-of-way for Wynn Shoals
requesting that the county be moved
from the Coosa-North Georgia region
to the Savannah-Upper Ogeechee
region.
Habersham County has permission
from the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division to make this
move if all the cities agree to it.
Baldwin currently has permits from
the EPD to draw water from the
Chattahoochee River. Habersham
County and the municipalities in the
county want to try to draw water from
Lake Yonah in the future. Bohannon
and council member Jeff Murray
voiced concern about what affect
signing this petition might have on
the city’s permits to draw from the
Road.
•a discussion was held on the out
door watering schedule for May.
Watering will be allowed for 25
minutes between the hours of mid
night to 10 a.m. This can be hand
watering only - no sprinklers or
soaker hoses.
Odd numbered addresses can
water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Sundays. Even numbered addresses
can water on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Saturdays. Anyone found in
violation of these rules will be pros
ecuted. Turner said this is just for the
month of May and the city will look
at the water situation to determine
the month of June and beyond.
•council member Loretta Bosco
asked Davidson to check on the
safety of a dilapidated house on
Grant Street.
•council member Kathy Clark said
she was out of town during the
annual clean-up day and the festival,
but she had heard good things about
both events.
•Alto resident Augustine Paramo
asked the council about the status
of his annexation request. Turner
said the property owners next to
him have not been receptive to the
possibility of annexing into the city
and therefore this is holding up his
annexation. Paramo also asked to
receive garbage service through the
city at his property. Turner instruct
ed him to get with City Clerk Penny
Rogers on this matter.
to look into this issue.
•Murray reported to the council
that he is working with financial offi
cer, Betty Harper, on planning a festi
val for the City of Baldwin. They are
looking at possibly holding the event
in the vacant area next to the police
and fire departments. This is the area
where the city has planned to erect
a pavilion and a playground. Harper
said the city has around $7,000 to
spend to get the project started and
there is about $30,000 in Special
Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
(SPLOST) 5 revenue for recreation.
Murray said, “We want to move the
pavilion from City Park Drive to this
site, the tables and grill have already
BY SHARON HOGAN
In a 4-1 vote, the Baldwin City
Council agreed at its April 28 meet
ing to look into trading some of its
equipment.
Fire Chief Joe Roy reported that
he had found a buyer for the rescue
truck at $40,000, with a broker. The
broker also has a ladder truck in
Colorado and a heavy rescue truck
in Connecticut that the Baldwin Fire
Department wishes to purchase. Roy
asked the consent of the council to
proceed with the trade of Baldwin’s
rescue squad for the ladder truck and
heavy rescue truck.
In a 4-1 vote, the council agreed
to proceed with the vehicle evalua
tion and send representatives of the
fire department to inspect the fire
trucks.
Council member Ray Holcomb
opposed this action.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the council
meeting on April 28:
•Mayor Mark Reed thanked every
one who participated in Baldwin’s
Peachy Clean-up Day held on
Saturday, April 26. Reed stated
there were around 200 people that
participated in the annual event,
including Baldwin citizens, board
BY SHARON HOGAN
Lula City Council members held a
special called meeting on Monday,
May 12, to consider three bids
received on paving nine city streets.
The bid was awarded to Advanced
Paving, Gainesville, with a bid of
$80,903.
Bids were also received from B &
Ninth District Opportunity, Inc.,
in cooperation with local volunteers,
will be hosting a surplus food distri
bution at the American Legion Hall
in Homer on May 22, starting at 9
a.m. until 1 p.m.
This is on a first-come first-serve
basis for Banks County residents.
of realtors’ members, and mem
bers of Fellowship Church and Lee
Arrendale Correctional Institute
transition residents.
•Eric Teittinen, senior vice presi
dent of Woodard and Curran, recom
mended that the city make repairs
to one of its raw water pumps.
Teittinen provided the council with
three bids: Calibration Controls
and Automation (CCA), $10,522;
Murphy Mechanicals Rebuilds,
$10,800 and Graves Water Services,
Inc., $14,800. Teittinen recommend
ed that the city go with CCA. The
price includes removal, disassem
bly and installation of pump and
replacement of normal wear parts,
and crane rental.
•the council approved a resolution
with the Department of Corrections
(DOC). Teittinen stated that the
DOC program with Lee Arrendale
Correctional Institute would provide
job training for the residents within
a year of release. A guard will be
present at all times and will trans
port the trainees to and from Lee
Arrendale State Prison. Classroom
training will be held at the prison
and hands-on training will be held
at the water plant. Teittinen stated
that the prison has agreed to send
L Paving, Gainesville, $99,925, and
Performance Paving, Gainesville,
$96,237.
The project will be paid for with
Special Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) revenue.
Mayor Milton Turner said, “I
asked Dennis (Bergin, city manager)
to look for some bids on resurfacing
The items expected to be distributed,
but not guaranteed are the following:
Veg mix, green beans, black-eyed
peas, peas, carrots, grapefruit juice,
apple sauce, can chicken, can pork,
can tuna, grits, pinto beans, peanut
butter, rice, corn flake cereal and
chucky beef stew.
a letter stating that Lee Arrendale
will assume all responsibility for
any accidents. Syfan asked to see
any letter that is received by the city
on this issue. The council requested
that a letter be received from Lee
Arrendale relieving them of any
responsibility in the event of an acci
dent and they will assume responsi
bility for any damage.
•Teittinen recommended that the
council consider placing a build
ing over the raw water pumps to
protect them from the environment
and outside damage. Teittinen told
the council that, with their permis
sion, Carol Jackson, Woodard and
Curran, would attempt to retrieve
funds from Homeland Security for
this project.
•Teittinen reported that he is not
prepared to present an engineer
ing proposal at this time for future
expansion at the wastewater plant.
He said he would put the proposal
together in the next few days.
•a proposal to raise the fee for
city cemetery lots was raised from
$300 to $600 per lot in a 4-1 vote.
The city is responsible for maintain
ing the grounds at the cemetery.
Council member Beverly Holcomb
voted against the proposal.
because asphalt stuff is just climb
ing, climbing, climbing, climbing.
We’ve got these bids in and we
didn’t want to wait another week to
approve them.”
Bergin said Advanced Paving has
done work with the city in the past
and were quick to fix any problems
that were encountered.
Individuals with qualifying income
will be eligible to receive food from
the USDA. Income guidelines per
month: one in home, $1,107; two in
home, $1,484; three in home, $1,861
and four in home, $2,238.
For details or to volunteer, contact
Christy Hall at 706-677-3921.
Chattahoochee. Syfan was instructed been moved from this location.”
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To purchase 8-11” catfish, you must bring your own container and water (Too big to bag].
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706-367-9207
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EXPERIENCED
Re-Elect Gene Hart
Chairman • Banks County Commission
Experienced in County Management:
• County-wide Budgeting
• Departmental Supervision
• Public Relations
• Planning
• Promoting Banks County
Keep the Continuity of Banks County Government
Vote for GENE HART
I would appreciate your vote and the opportunity to
continue progress in Banks County serving as your
Chairman of the Banks County Board of
Commissioners.
Questions/Concerns?
Contact Information: 706-340-0825 (C)
or gene@bcrp.org
Baldwin receives special use permit request
Lula awards paving bids for several city streets
Food distribution set at Homer American Legion Thursday
